Gemini and the End of the World
(soft music) (light chiming) (crowd cheering) (eerie ambient music) (synth music) - [Nexpo] I have discovered a series in the realm of Local 58. (eerie ambient music) A VHS archive of an ordinary broadcast company. Animal Education, Storm Safety, Space Knowledge, Artificial Intelligence, and are among the topics presented to us in the form of short, educational VHS guides.
Tonight, we will envelop ourselves within this [a t r o c i t y] fantastic educational series. This is Gemini Home Entertainment. (computer clicking) (soft music) (static hissing) (man screaming) (knocking on door) Oh yeah, I'm digging this. (soft music) On our plate tonight is an analog horror series by an internet creator named Remy Abode, birthed from an alternate reality gone awry. Containing events stemming from [t h e d e p t h s o f h e l l] the hope for a brighter future, Gemini Home Entertainment is a video distribution company ready to take you on an educational trip through various avenues of life knowledge. What that knowledge is, exactly, is unclear at this point in time, but what we do know, is that something in their reality is out of place.
Something isn't right here. The series was birthed on November 13, of 2019, and since then has built up to a total of 16 videos, each with their own surprises, and each giving us a different piece of the puzzle as to what's happening within this world. The guides appear to be presented in a VHS anthology format, a far cry from the silent onlooking and broadcast interruptions we experienced in Local 58. Whoever's behind Gemini wanted people to see this, and everything within each recording is as it should be. Tonight on our plate, we have the following before us, World's Weirdest Animals, Storm Safety Tips, The Deep Blue, Artificial Computer Learning, Our Solar System, Camp Information Video, Lethal Omen, Wilderness Survival Guide, Sleep Image Visualizer, Games for Kids, Advanced Mining Vehicle, Deep Root Disease, Monthly Progress Report, Christmas Eve Party, Home Invasion Help, and last but not least, Crusader Probe Mission.
Because there doesn't appear to be any sort of established timeline here, we're gonna tackle these in order of their release date. If you can't tell, we've got our work cut out for us, so pop open those Lunchables and grab that Crystal Pepsi, we're about to dive into some analog horror. This, my friends, is Gemini Home Entertainment. (dramatic music) (soft music) World's Weirdest Animals. (ominous music) The video opens by showing us strange and wacky wildlife that inhabits various regions of Minnesota, like prairie chickens and burrowing owls.
The overall pacing and layout of the video are pretty simple, with the names of the animals being presented alongside a couple of facts, all over some calm B-roll footage. (upbeat music) The overall tone changes a bit once we make it to the three minute mark. Contrary to the prior animals, the habitat for the one upcoming is denoted as "everywhere". And if that weren't strange enough, music is nonexistent from this point forward, merely leaving us with an ominous dead air. And so, the next animal up is something called a Woodcrawler.
For the next couple minutes, the video explains a bit more about them, like the fact that they're found all over North America, are excellent hunters, do not make any noise at all, and prefer the homes of large families for nesting. Apparently they "adapt" to this residential environment, although it's unclear what exactly that means. (static hissing) So, right in the middle of episode one, we get a brief glimpse of what we can assume to be a Woodcrawler. It appears to be some sort of long-legged creature, and I've got a funny feeling that it's actual body is much, much larger than a human.
Curiously, the video also presented somewhat of a paradox, claiming that "you will hear screaming", but "they stole their voices". If we're assuming that the victims of these so-called "Woodcrawlers", are humans, then it leaves us wondering what exactly they're doing to them. Lastly, I find it interesting that this creature was described as "Nature's mockery", as that term could be interpreted in a couple different ways. Are Woodcrawlers ridiculing our entire perception of nature and how life within it functions, or are they some kind of absurd imitation of human life? I could be way overanalyzing this first part, but, I'm just curious why that's there, considering how unnatural this creature looks. (static hissing) In this next scene, we're outside of that same house at night.
It's hard to make out, but we can notice people inside of it this time. Why? (static hissing) (camera thudding) (static hissing) Yeah, those aren't people are they? (eerie ambient music) So, with their bizarre, unnatural behavior, combined with the caption claiming that they're "fake people", it's clear that Woodcrawlers don't kill humans. They imitate them. This effectively establishes synonymy between the two, as their method of "adapting", somehow involves taking over their bodies and conforming, to the best of their ability, to natural human life. As we've seen, though, their behavior is far from it.
They're incredibly tense, they can't properly interact, and when faced with an outsider that isn't one of their kind, they attack them. They're an absurd imitation of the human form, a true mockery of Nature. (upbeat music) Storm Safety Tips.
(soft music) Brought to you by a Harbinge Technologies, the focus of this video is to help keep you and your family informed on how to remain safe in the event of a major catastrophic storm. The steps outlined are pretty cut and dry, with the first being to reinforce your home by improving structural support, replacing roof shingles, and fixing leaks. Step two advises that you install an early warning system, that, conveniently, Harbinge Technologies makes. According to the video, this Albedo Alarm will warn you ahead of time if a storm or other danger is approaching your home. Interesting.
I wonder what that could be? The third step involves building a storm bunker, which should be, precisely, 18 feet long by 10 feet tall. The tape then advises us to install a four to five foot wide aluminum hemisphere and to place their Timbre shortwave radio next to it. We're given no further context on why it should be there.
But it should. (soft music) This next segment explains what to do during these storms. It's first advised to take our family to the bunker, followed by powering on our Timbre radio, and remaining calm. Oddly, when these steps are shown, conflicting statements appear below each one that seem to add nothing to the table in terms of instruction.
Rather, it tends to inflict the viewer with doubt, with claims like "Your home doesn't belong to you now", "ignore all sound produced by the radio. They're auditory hallucinations", and "your tears are filled with salt". If we took these statements away, we wouldn't be losing out on anything which makes me wonder why its there, and who the hell wrote it. (soft music) (static hissing) (eerie ambient music) (static hissing) (static hissing) (eerie ambient music) (soft music) (soft music) Listen, under your feet, crawling through the floor. It seems that this line is referencing Woodcrawlers, which leads me to believe that this "storm" isn't the type we know of in a conventional sense.
This, combined with immediate camera cut to lights in the field, alongside that warning to return to the bunker if we see them, makes it appear that Woodcrawlers and whatever's emitting these lights are perhaps the same creature. With this in mind, this leaves us to wonder exactly this storm entails? How often does it happen, and most importantly, why is it happening? (dramatic music) (upbeat music) Deep Blue. (soft synth music) (soft music) Created by a Gyneva Production Company, the premise of this one is simple.
Lighthearted education about various creatures and regions of the deep blue sea. Towards the latter half of the video, we cut to a section about the deep ocean. The Mariana's Trench is introduced as a large, foreboding hole in the ocean floor, described as the deepest place on earth. Following this, we can observe a cross section view, introducing an even deeper and more ambiguous region of the ocean called the Demisia Tunnel. And ominously, the depth here is unknown. (soft music) (static hissing) (eerie ambient music) (eerie ambient music) (eerie ambient music) (eerie ambient music) (static hissing) (eerie ambient music) Nothing can live inside the Mariana's Trench.
The same, however, can't be said about the Demisia Tunnel. Taking what we know so far about Woodcrawlers, how they were introduced, and the connection to them from Storm Safety Tips, I'm led to believe that this creature is perhaps, a full body shot of one of them. With this, we become aware of their ability to exist on land, underground, and beneath the extreme pressure of the ocean floor, cementing them as a highly resilient creature that humans, by all accounts, need to stay away from.
(soft music) (soft synth music) Regnad Computing, huh? (ominous music) This next entry involves a new, state-of-the-art AI tech showcase. The overview explains that it's been in development for about four years, and is already highly advanced. Curiously, this is the only tape so far to start off with absolutely no music, which I found notable considering that in each video so far, the music stops when an ominous revelation is about to happen. The AI showcase is laid out in the form of short stories. Each iteration spans four lines of text, and as we progress through this video, we'll find that what starts off as unintelligible, quickly morphs into something we're able to logically follow.
(static hissing) (computer beeping) (ominous music) As expected, this first story made little sense. We can gather an overall idea of what it's trying to convey through words like River, a Secret, Death, and the names Jack and Mary. Iteration two expands on this a bit, and reads the following: Jack leapt over the river.
Mary followed close behind. They're searching for the secret place. I hear you. And with Iteration three: Jack leapt over the river. There goes Mary down the stream. The secret place will keep us safe.
The river flows but not with water. (static hissing) (computer beeping) (eerie ambient music) (eerie ambient music) (ominous music) Alright, so that was a lot to take in. Those last two iterations diverted pretty heavily from the original story, formulating a narrative with tons of clues to pick apart. The story here surrounds two people named Jack and Mary. We can assume that they're out in the wild, leaping over a river to get to a "secret place". It's unclear what this secret place is, but for now, we can assume it to be a storm safety bunker.
In iteration four, we get references to a so-called "voice from space", and in that same story, it's clear that Mary has become something else. This "something else" looks to be the product of the hungry eye that's referenced thereafter, however by this point in the video, we're unsure of what exactly that is. Something else I found interesting was this small detail. At the beginning, we're told we're going to explore three iterations of short stories by this AI.
In reality, we received five. This leaves us with two options on why this is. Either an external party had tampered with the video or this computer, or this AI is somehow advanced enough to make decisions on its own. Personally, I'm led to believe the former, and this is why. As we can see, the structure of these stories takes place in third person.
During iterations two, four, and five, however, we receive specific lines of text that address either us, or Jack, in the first person. And after stringing these together, we gain an interesting result. I hear you. Jack, do you see me? I have become something else. Do you see the hungry eye? Here I am.
With this context, I want you to listen, very carefully, to that last iteration once more. (computer beeping) There is some sort of voice coming through the broadcast. It's extremely muffled, however it's clear that something is either interfering, or feeding information to this AI. And personally, I'm led to believe that it's Mary. She and Jack are not just filler names for these stories. They're actual people, and I'm going to infer that the story presented actually happened.
Moving on. Towards the video's end, we observed it glitch into two diagrams. Given the references to the voice from space and the moving stars, I'm led to believe that these two circles represent planets.
The larger appears to be the hungry eye, being denoted as alive, with intent. It seems to be hyperfocusing on a smaller planet which we can assume to be Earth, and in the second diagram, we can observe the effects that this eye is having on us. Somehow, it's projecting some sort of vessel down to Earth, and once it makes contact, it mutates into the creatures we've been seeing thus far.
It's clear that there's something larger at play here and there's a lot of context that we're still missing, so let's press on to see what else Gemini has for us. (soft music) (soft music) When we shift gears to Our Solar System, we're able to learn a few facts about the various planets. A diagram greets us, encompassing the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. After learning facts about the Sun, Mercury, and Venus, we then make our way to Earth, described as one of the only planets in our solar system capable of supporting life. (soft music) (static hissing) Upon making our way to Jupiter, the video highlights it's big red spot.
It claims that it's not an eye. It is an open wound. We then observe Saturn. The outer portion of its ring is absent, and it's denoted as something called The Gateway.
(soft music) (eerie ambient music) (static hissing) (eerie ambient music) (ominous music) The Iris is new. It is with us now. Laughing at us. It's clear that the overarching threat is not that of Woodcrawlers, but the Iris, which has somehow caused neighboring Neptune to mutate. What exactly that means at this point in time is unclear, but if I were to guess, it could be some sort of breeding ground for the creatures it emits by solar storm. Due to its presence, other planets like Jupiter and Saturn are beginning to suffer from the effects of its influence, and given the story so far, it's safe to conject that its latest target is Earth.
(soft music) (soft music) (light acoustic guitar music) Tape six changes gears a bit. Here, we're introduced to a freshly reopened campground named Moonlight Acres, a serene getaway that's completely isolated from outside civilization. The tape showcases its many accommodations and activities, including hiking trails, archery, canoeing, and their flagship "Light's in the Sky" event which is oddly denoted as a harvest. Afterwards, we're able to catch a glimpse of their various structures. Among these are burrow-free family cabins, kids cabins, and even their original rustic cabins for those feeling a bit more outdoorsy. Each of these are beautifully decorated to ensure your stay is as cozy as possible, and you can rest easy knowing that they have alarms in place in case a sudden storm takes place.
Just be absolutely, positively sure not to... (knocking on door) Do not answer the knocking at the door. (crickets chirping) (eerie ambient music) Around three minutes into the video, we're introduced to the mythology behind Moonlight Acres. Allegedly back in the 1930s, strange, well-dressed men would visit the campground asking to enter the admins cabin every single night, for years.
Apparently, one night, a deal was made with them and they left, never to be seen again. Following this, we get a mention of Skinwalkers, that were allegedly sighted during the same time period. For those unaware, Skinwalkers are a type of shapeshifting humanoid creature that's able to inhabit the form of any animal they desire. It's unclear if they're referencing this same type of Skinwalker within Gemini Home Entertainment, but, with what we know about Woodcrawlers and how they function, I definitely see some overlap. (crickets chirping) (static hissing) (eerie ambient music) (knocking on door) (soft music) (eerie ambient music) (door creaking) (eerie ambient music) Adam Levitch, Barry Johnson, Truman Michaels, Bethany Newman, Alec Davison, and Dorothy Bates, are listed as vessels. Carriers of something, that isn't good.
It's clear to us that the knocking was coming from Woodcrawlers, and given the photo of them, we're able to finally establish a scale for how gargantuan these creatures can be. I'm going to conject that the Woodcrawler we saw in World's Weirdest Animals was much younger than the ones we're seeing here in Moonlight Acres. While we're currently unsure of what their lifespan is, we know that this one surely wouldn't fit into a house. Given the campground's mythology, with the stories about the strange men that co-existed with so-called Skinwalkers in the 1930s, this implies that these creatures have been here for decades. But this leaves us to wonder what they've been doing and how they've upheld the status of mere campground mythology for so long. We know the original staff opened their doors, likely being killed or transformed into fake people and resulting in the campgrounds original closure, but where have they been since then? What is clear is that Moonlight Acres is back open.
Now advertising burrow-free cabins and having a clear awareness of these creatures existing, someone gave it the green light. But who? (soft music) Wilderness Survival Guide. (soft music) In this one, a man named Jack Wylder is gonna teach us about wildlife. Fitting name, and familiar. The video opens informing us about various safety measures to take when out in the wild. We learn which equipment to bring, and are then presented with various natural hazards to be aware of, like thorns, ditches, various animals, and what to do if we ever come face-to-face with a bear.
(soft music) There's our skinwalker. So we now know that Woodcrawlers can not only kill and inhabit the bodies of humans, but animals too. Interesting. Following this section, we're greeted with numerous florae and their impacts on humans. Among these, are poison ivy, which causes rashes, itching, swelling, and blisters.
Water Hemlock which causes trembling, convulsions, respiratory failure, and death. And lastly, something called Nature's Mockery. Not the Woodcrawler description we saw earlier, but the actual, proper Nature's Mockery.
Its effects on humans encompass hallucinations, sudden muscular paralysis, body disfigurement, and flesh decay. In other words, something that can latch onto you, something that can break you, deforming you into a being hardly resembling a human. But hey, at least it won't kill you. (soft music) (coyotes howling) (cougar roaring) - [Man] Help! Help! Help me! Somebody! Help! (soft music) (eerie ambient music) - [Narrator] One of the most disturbing, and unethical aspects of this video was the description of a human pleading for help. Clearly they were desperately in need, however the video plays it off, persuading you that this human being that's probably on the brink of death is nothing but an auditory hallucination. Knowing what we know about Fake People and their conformity to human life, I understand that this could very easily be one of them.
But what if it isn't? We're presented with a catch-22 here. If we risk our own life to help this person and they're not a fake person, then we've done something good and helped save a life. But if we assume that it's a fake person without ever confirming it, we'll never know any better and they'd be left to die. It's a tactic of manipulation.
Gemini Home Entertainment has planted a seed in the heads of whoever watches this, and it effectively contributes to a moral apprehension, a panic, per se, in which you truly, cannot trust anyone. (soft music) Moving on. We then learn how to create a fire. Critical knowledge for anyone venturing into the wild. If your fire fails to start, though, Jack Wylder advises to... - [Man] Help! Help me! Somebody! Help! Help! Somebody! Help! Help! Hello, somebody! Help! - [Narrator] And so, we have exhibit A, a fake person screaming for help, like bait.
(soft music) (ominous music) (crickets chirping) (upbeat music) (crickets chirping) (static hissing) (eerie ambient music) Welcome to "Lethal Omen." A video game intended for Regnad Computers. It takes place at Moonlight Acres, and throughout this video, we're able to observe the embodiment of various motifs we've seen in videos past. The beginning of the game starts out serene, the player peeks around the campground a bit, however is soon greeted with an enemy mob that are out to get them. (gun firing) Interestingly, these enemies appear to be dressed in military fatigues, giving rise to the possibility that there's some sort of military intervention at play here.
It should be noted that there have been absolutely zero references to government involvement thus far, however given the circumstances, it would make sense. Keep this in mind. We'll come back to it. Anyway, a few moments later, we encounter what seems to be a fake person, and afterwards, the Albedo Alarm begins blaring. The game tells us to run.
(eerie ambient music) (Woodcrawler screeching) And that my friends, is what takes place during a storm. Panic. Disruption. Invasion.
(Woodcrawler screeching) It appears to me that the basement we sought refuge in followed every single protocol that Harbinge outlined back in Storm Safety Tips. The dome was there, and the radio was on, but that didn't stop them. Like breaking through cardboard, a Woodcrawler was able to breach their advertised fortress of refuge with ease, which leaves me curious if Harbinge made their guide in good faith.
If we can recall, there was a double purpose to their video, not only were they giving advice, but they were also selling products like the Timbre Radio, and the Albedo Alarm. From an outside perspective, they appeared to be capitalizing on mass panic to reap profits, although that point is merely conjecture since, for all we know, they, too may be oblivious to the inefficacy of their products. The blind leading the blind, per se. (crickets chirping) (footsteps thudding) (distant howling) (static hissing) Alright, I know this is a video game, but if the Iris is able to move around the solar system at will, coming within a critical distance from Earth, then, yeah, there's a problem.
And it aint just Woodcrawlers. Interestingly this section occurred at twilight, which mirrors the various other references we've seen to Woodcrawler activity. The fields. The fake people.
The knocking. If there's something I'd takeaway here, it's that it seems like these creatures are more active, more violent when the sun goes down. (ominous music) Oh yeah, I forgot to mention.
You can actually play this. "Lethal Omen" is a game is chock-full of secrets. You can spend a solid hour exploring Moonlight Acres, discovering its hidden lore, and unlocking each of the five endings awaiting you. I'm going to go over them now, so if you'd like to play this for yourself and keep things unspoiled, I'll give you 10 seconds to skip forward to this timestamp.
(dramatic music) Like we established, within "Lethal Omen", there are five different endings to uncover. Before we get to those, though, I wanted to take you into the campground to explore the hidden lore awaiting us. We begin the game next to a highway outside of Moonlight Acres.
Both ends of the road are blocked off, however we can observe two cars nearby. One out in this field, and another resembling a police car. We're tasked with collecting three keys, and after doing so, we're then granted access to the campground. One of the first things you'll notice is this bulletin board.
It contains two notes, and two strange images that are hard to make out. The first note informs us of the "Lights in the Sky" event taking place tonight at 9:30 p.m., and the second informs us to bring our so-called "SIV". Moving inward, we're then greeted with six cabins. In the first, we can observe headphones, a shortwave radio, a TV, and a Gemini Home Entertainment VHS tape.
In the second, we get much of the same. This time, though, a stack of tapes containing Storm Safety Tips and other Gemini media are present, however there is this one that I'm unable to make out. In the third, we can observe a TV playing a Gemini tape. Here, we learn that an SIV is something called a Sleep Image Visualizer, that we're required to plug into a module.
And that same SIV module can be seen lying on the dresser. Given the name, it seems that the SIV's goal centers around recording dreams. For who, how, and why, we're currently unsure of. But, interestingly, if we shoot this specific monitor, we're able to observe the SIV in action for Adam Levitch, the former men's club supervisor that we know was transformed into a vessel.
In cabin four, we can see that things are a bit messier. On the TV once more is that SIV tutorial, and scattered across the room are numerous SIVs and headphones, along with a tape labeled Albedo Alarm Settings Video. Moving onto cabin five, we can observe a huge mess.
There isn't much to this one besides this SIV on the ground. And last but not least, cabin six. This one clearly has been ravaged by something, evident by the large break in the floor. Within it, we can observe that SIV tape, along with a SIV module and some sort of strange plague surrounding it.
Upon making our way back outside and to the archery area, we're greeted with seven targets along with our first enemy encounter. After taking them out and approaching the targets, we're able to read snippets of newspaper articles about the events taking place at Moonlight Acres. Campgoers distraught after Moonlight Acres' famous Light's in the Sky event is abruptly canceled.
If you've been looking forward to the Light's in the Sky event this year at Moonlight Acres Family Camp, don't be so hasty to pack your bags. The official Moonlight Acres website recently updated, revealing that the event has been abruptly canceled, with no reason given. Campgoers are enraged, especially those who go to Moonlight Acres every year simply to watch the event, and demand an explanation for the abrupt cancellation.
The times asked Moonlight Acres for an interview. They politely declined. The other is partially covered making it a bit harder to make out, but it seems to focus on the disappearance of a person named Jordan Barnes. They were most likely Canadian, and given the fact that this note is beneath the one about the Light's in the Sky cancellation, we can assume that this is why.
Investigators are curious as to why so many are worried about their disappearance, pondering if they're victims of a so-called mass hysteria. Moving on, once we make our way into the administrator's cabin, we can observe numerous campground photos covering the walls. The first, amusingly, contains a Mario 64 reference, and displays an aerial view of the campground.
The second shows the campground entrance from 1982. The third is a swimming pool, circa 1988. And the fourth is a camp staff group photo taken in 1984.
On the far wall are numerous other camp photos that are unlabeled, and opposite this are shelves full of VHS tapes. Here, we can make out various Gemini videos, however this specific one bears a name and date. Given what we know so far about the SIVs and how they operate, I'm led to believe that this is an archive of numerous staff dreams.
Further inside, we find a shelf full of TVs and a strange door that's floating on a wall. Upon making our way up to it, we encounter an unkempt attic full of discarded televisions, and on the floor beneath them? Various notes, reading the following: "It was looking into me. Wants to eat the camp. I fear the men may return. My face is going away. I hear voices.
The spot on my neck has grown. There's a bonfire tonight. I will stay in my bedroom. Light's in the Sky is tonight.
I've been told that the men will be present. Maybe it will leave us alone now." Something that stood out to me here was the reference to the spot on their neck. It seems to reference an infection that is slow-moving, and there are absolutely zero references to Woodcrawlers or any sort of creature. Given what we know about Nature's Mockery, it doesn't seem to be that either, which leaves me curious as to if there's another form of infection taking place here.
Something biologic. Moving on, if we make our way back outside and head leftward, we encounter what I can assume to be Nature's Mockery. And within it, a heavily deformed human being, giving us a visual as to what this plant actually does to you. While examining it, the fake person we saw back in the commercial gameplay spawns in.
And then we're told to run. (eerie ambient music) And so, like we saw earlier, we make our way to the bunker, and from here, everything plays out as shown before. (eerie ambient music) (Woodcrawler screeching) (crickets chirping) (footsteps thudding) - [Man] Help! - [Narrator] Well, except that. And so, this time, we hear a fake person screaming in the distance. (footsteps thudding) - [Man] Help! Help me! Somebody! Help! - [Narrator] And we come to find that they're infected with the same plague we saw in the cabin floor.
(gun clicking) - [Man] Help! (gun clicking) Help me! Help! Help! (eerie ambient music) (crickets chirping) - [Narrator] And that, my friends, is ending one. Play the game like the commercial, and encounter the Iris staring into you. - [Man] Help! - [Narrator] From here, we're going to explore the other four endings. Clearly, "Lethal Omen"'s lore is gargantuan, leaving us with tons of questions that we're currently unable to answer.
I'm curious what else there is to find, though, so let's head back in to uncover it. (eerie ambient music) Moving on to the ending two, you once again begin the game as usual. Collect the keys, and fight the enemies, however this time, instead of approaching the Nature's Mockery abomination, you gotta make your way back to the administrator's attic. Once you're inside and turn around to exit, though you're greeted with a strange mannequin that tracks your every move.
(eerie ambient music) And after approaching it, you observe the following. (gun firing) (static hissing) (knocking on door) To unlock ending three, you need to collect the keys, kill the enemies, and approach Nature's Mockery. This time, instead of making your way to the cabin or bunker, you're required to pass through this secret entrance to the family cabin area to claim this hidden key that's also covered in that plague.
After obtaining it, you make your way back to the front, where you'll find this target that you're need to shoot. And after doing so and heading to the highway the campground lies on, you encounter an abandoned police car, before the following plays out. (eerie ambient music) (footsteps thudding) (ominous music) (gun firing) Ending four involves us making our way back in. After taking out the first round of enemies, we're required to shoot each target before making our way back to the entrance. Curiously, we then find an opening in the treeline, and upon exploring it, we encounter a massive, foreboding hole also covered in plague. Upon approaching it, we're able to hear the sounds of creatures in the distance.
(distant roaring) And, of course, we do as any sane person would do and jump in, giving us our fourth ending. (ominous music) And last but not least, the true ending. Here, we gotta do everything we've done prior. Keys, enemies, Mockery, plagued key, and heading back to the front. Curiously, we then see an opening in the fence line, and after approaching it, we encounter a group of enemies in a formation.
This time, though, they're not out to kill us. They're waiting on us. (eerie ambient music) (footsteps thudding) (eerie ambient music) (distant roaring) But, that isn't everything.
The game continues. (eerie ambient music) We approach a tree with a sign. "Shifting tendons shape anatomy. There are fewer livestock now."
And another. "Wretched hands tap my window. A stranger's fangs scrape the walls." (knocking on door) (floor creaking) And another. "The floorboards creak while I sleep.
Growing cracks leak with red." (floor creaks) "The field has eyes, burning deep. They are becoming restless."
(floor creaks) (eerie ambient music) (static hissing) (dramatic music) The mannequins. The hole. The police car.
The ritual. And the Iris. There is a ton to unpack within "Lethal Omen", and the beauty of it is that, when presented in a video-game format, you're left to encounter these on your own. So, let's recap. The role of the mannequins seen in the attic ending is currently unclear. It's important to note that they appear to have a much higher polygon count than anything else found in "Lethal Omen", but aside from that, hardly any further context is given regarding their existence.
If I had to guess, I'd say that they represent the strange men that the camp admin referenced in their note. If we can recall, right after reading it is when we encounter them for the very first time, leading to a potential connection between the two, however this is hitherto unconfirmed. Moving onto the hole, this appears to be the byproduct of Woodcrawlers. Their breadcrumb trail as they breach the confines of Earth. It's currently unclear what exactly that plague is, but perhaps we'll find our answers in later uploads. The police car seems to represent a victim.
The Police likely received calls of strange activity going on at Moonlight Acres, potentially involving the missing Jordan Barnes, however after investigation, they never made it out to reveal the truth. There's a looming impression that they're aware of Woodcrawlers, but this is also unconfirmed. And lastly, the ritual, an embodiment of helplessness. After realizing that everyone around you is infected, is a fake person, you lose all hope on fighting back.
Police can't help you. Camp admins answered the door, they can't help you. The bunker that's supposed to keep you safe, that can't help you. And a supermassive, sentient eye is looming over you. It goes without saying that in a situation like this, fighting back is futile, and the game communicates this by waiting on you. Get in, they beckon.
Give in. - [Announcer] We'll return after these messages. (soft music) - [Narrator] Alright, halfway there. You still with me? As we can see, there is a lot going on with Gemini Home Entertainment.
We still have tons of questions about the overall story here, but I wanted to circle back and recap on what we know so far. Refill your drink, heat up another popcorn, and get cozy, 'cause we're only getting started. (dramatic music) In review.
Within Gemini Home Entertainment, the entire story revolves around the Iris. We know the Iris is a supermassive, sentient planet that entered our solar system without humans ever knowing it. When, how, or why it did is currently unclear, but what we do know, is that it infected the neighboring ice giant Neptune, turning it into something that is alive. Neptune has become somewhat of a minion to the Iris, a vessel, or lens that it uses to emit solar storms targeting Earth. Given the diagram from Artificial Computer Learning, we can infer that within these solar storms, are embryos and seeds that mutate into Woodcrawlers and Nature's Mockery upon landing on Earth, the Iris' next target for mutation. Back home, the primary prey of Woodcrawlers are humans, but we know that they're able to inhabit the bodies of animals as well.
Woodcrawlers are highly resilient and clever, given their ability to imitate humankind, although it's still unclear what exactly they do to achieve this. On top of Woodcrawlers, Nature's Mockery is introduced as the major florae to steer clear from, and it's method of infection appears to be via direct contact. Somehow, at an unknown speed, this plant paralyzes and disfigures whatever it comes into contact with, leaving the victim in a vegetative state forever. At this point, we're currently unsure if Nature's Mockery eventually kills you, but even if it did, that's not much better. Within the Camp Information Video, we catch wind of the mythology behind a campground called Moonlight Acres. Given that the strange, knocking men existed at the same time as the so-called skinwalkers in the 1930s, I'm led to assume that this campground was among the very first establishments to encounter the effects of the Iris.
This explains why every single original staff member died, well, except the admin. They weren't listed. This point leads us into "Lethal Omen", an archaic video game that cements the time-period for Gemini somewhere in the 1990s. To me, the game seems to place us into the shoes of that admin, taking us through their final minutes within their desolate campground. The various endings seem to be symbolic of the many ways they could've died, but that true ending, the hopeless suicide and transformation, that is the one that killed them. Lastly, we have two characters, Jack Wylder and Mary.
Admittedly, Mary's background has been elusive. We can assume that she mutated into a Woodcrawler somehow, and have made the tenuous assumption that she's trying to communicate to Jack through the REGNAD computers. Regarding Jack, he's a recurring character throughout Gemini Home Entertainment. Obvious references are made in the Wilderness and AI videos, and, given the nature of his work as a wildlife videographer, it leaves me to wonder if he has more to do with these tapes than they're letting on. If we can recall, Worlds Weirdest Animals, Storm Safety Tips, and Wilderness Survival Guide all have strikingly similar shots of video, so if he's the one behind these, clearly being attacked in the very first video, we're left to wonder what happened to him? Where is he? And so, alongside the abstruse nature of Jack's role here, there are still tons of questions left unanswered. Why do these tapes start off ordinarily, but devolve into a disturbing mess? Do each of the companies that Gemini Home Entertainment distributes for have humanity's best interests in mind, or is there something larger at play here? What exactly was that plague that we kept seeing in "Lethal Omen?" Why are there stockpiles of SIV recordings in the admins cabin? How exactly do Woodcrawlers infect humans? Is the majority of humanity aware of this impending threat? And most importantly, why did the Iris enter our solar system? We know that it's there, but we don't know how it operates and what it's overarching plans are.
What we do know, though, is that Gemini Home Entertainment is aware of all of this. They know about Woodcrawlers, Nature's Mockery, the plague, the deaths, and Neptune's infection, but coincidentally, we know the least about them. Clearly there's a lot of context left to fill, so let's buckle down and see what else Gemini has in store for us. (soft music) (soft music) Well well, perfect timing. (soft music) For video nine, we once again meet our good friends over at Harbinge Technologies. This time, they're presenting an instructional guide on how to set up a Sleep Image Visualizer, a device in which we can assume to give us a look into the dreams of others.
We begin by orienting ourselves with the SIV Module and headset before we move on to learn how to set it up. Interestingly, throughout this video, we'll soon notice anomalous interruptions that have been recorded over this tape. (soft music) (static hissing) Interesting.
So in the middle of this video, we observe it cut to the dream sequence of a Levi Jacobs. And within it, we witness our first mannequin character outside of "Lethal Omen." No further context is given to why they're there, but curiously, immediately after this dream sequence, we can observe the same mannequin head being used to represent a SIV client. (soft music) (soft music) (static hissing) (muffled chattering) (soft music) (static hissing) (footsteps thudding) (knocking on door) Let's recap real quick. Levi Jacobs was asleep for four minutes.
Adrian Gordon was asleep for four minutes. Jack Dean, however, was asleep for three days. (static hissing) (eerie ambient music) (eerie ambient music) Alright, so throughout this one, we received two references to the Iris. One being in the Goodnight sequence, and another being within the dream of Joseph Allen who never woke up. Interestingly, the video is very matter-of-fact in claiming that these images do not represent reality or the future, however it's clear to us that they do represent the circumstances they're living in.
Now, backing up, we've seen the name Jack in the series twice so far. Firstly in Artificial Computer Learning, and most recently in the Wilderness Survival Guide. His last name's different in this one, but for brevity, just know that this is the same person. Over on the Gemini Home Entertainment YouTube channel, they posted this image around the same time the SIV video released. On the very bottom, we're able to see his full name, and to the left, we can make out bits of the story surrounding him. According to the article, Jack is a prominent TV personality and wildlife expert.
He had gone missing in May, and his disappearance has been the subject of a nationwide manhunt. He allegedly disappeared while filming a new special aimed to protect and enlighten what I'm assuming to be people, from what are most likely the effects of the Iris. Curiously, the month he went missing and the time period he underwent SIV testing are both one in the same, which leaves us to wonder if, perhaps, this three-day slumber somehow led to his death. While that is currently unclear, what is clear, is that Jack Dean's Wilderness Survival Guide and the World's Weirdest Animals videos are distinctly connected. Two parts of the same series of videos, by him.
With this in mind, we know he's been in the SIV, and we also know that he's been attacked by Fake People. Either of these could've killed him, so which one was it? Where is he? (computer chiming) (crowd cheering) (soft music) (soft synth music) (soft music) Next up on our list is a family-friendly guide made by an Optica Video called Games for Kids. "Are you bored? Need some new, fun games to play? Well, you're in luck!" They claim, and so we learn about the ins and outs of various games the kids can play.
(soft music) First up, Hide and Seek. Simple enough, one player's the seeker, and the rest are hiders. They count to 20, and go on the hunt. (soft music) (computer chiming) (crowd cheering) (soft music) Next up, Freeze tag.
One player is "it", while the rest are runners. (soft music) (crowd cheering) (soft music) Third up, Sardines. The sibling to hide and seek.
One person hides, and the rest go seek. (soft music) (computer chiming) (crowd cheering) (soft music) Fourth up, a game called... (crickets chirping) Well, that's new. Contrary to every bit of advice we've gotten in videos past, like staying quiet, and following the lights when the sun goes down are all thrown out the window. We know that Woodcrawlers and Fake People are more active at night, and advice like this does nothing but ensure their demise. Unless that's the point.
(crickets chirping) (computer chiming) (game buzzing) (computer chiming) (game buzzing) (computer chiming) (game buzzing) (computer chiming) (game buzzing) (computer chiming) (wind whooshing) (crowd cheering) (computer chiming) (crowd cheering) (ominous music) Alright, so Feed the Woods. A game that unequivocally leads children to their own death. As we could see, during this section we observed numerous camera shots of the forest. Interestingly in the third one, we could observe a strange red light in the sky. It seems to match the eye that we've seen on Woodcrawlers, and given the nature of this game, it would make sense.
Clearly, the woods are a threat. A sort of eldritch location that serves as a breeding ground for these creatures. And as with anything that is alive, they need to feed. Backing up, I wanted to highlight the creator of this tape, a company named Optica Video.
Considering the name, combined with the addition of a game that quite literally kills children at the benefit of these creatures, I'm led to assume that Optica Video isn't a kids company at all. This is a manipulation tape, with nefarious intent. And it also drives home the point that the Woodcrawlers' food source is drying up.
With this notion in mind, let's think back to Moonlight Acres. We established that it was ostensibly ground zero for the Iris. The very first location in which humanity experienced the effects of it. Given what we know from "Lethal Omen" about the Light's In The Sky event cancellation and the disappearance of Jordan Barnes, we can speculate that perhaps Moonlight Acres is or was closed during the time this tape was made.
The Woodcrawlers are hungry, leaving them with no choice but to expand to the neighboring forest to inhabit and feast on animals, which, as we learned from the camp admins note, also began to dwindle in numbers. It's here where we realize that they're scraping for anything they can get, and this is further evident by the shot of the Woodcrawler devouring the police car at the video's end. Whoever is behind Optica Video isn't someone inherently good.
They're helping them, leading us, for the very first time, to question the morality of Gemini Home Entertainment as a company. With Regnad, Harbinge, and Gyneva, there was, at the very least, ambiguity in their ethics. But here, that's not the case at all. (soft music) (soft synth music) (soft music) Next up on our journey is a tape named Advanced Mining Vehicle.
Here, we're introduced to a Canadian organization called NAMAD, or Northern Alberta Mining and Development. The video begins by introducing us to a new, revolutionary piece of mining technology called the Remote-Operated Compact Tunneler. As the name implies, it provides the user with tunneling capabilities, while mitigating all risk that would otherwise be involved.
(soft music) (static hissing) (soft music) The video then informs us of the various technologies present within the ROCT, like an optical zoom lens to focus on important details, a compact microphone to detect running water or nests, and even an altimeter with a heads-up-display so you're always conscious of where, and what the ROCT is tunneling into. (eerie ambient music) (footsteps thudding) (static hissing) (computer beeping) (eerie ambient music) Following this, we then learn of the heavily protected, industrial-grade battery aboard the ROCT. And, it seems like we're gonna need it considering it's been spotted by something.
(eerie ambient music) We then cut back to the ROCT's camera at a depth of 145 meters. (eerie ambient music) (static hissing) Interestingly, spread through these caves are some sort of fleshy, stringy substance that we haven't yet seen. (static hissing) (eerie ambient music) (static hissing) (eerie ambient music) So here, we observed the ROCT tunnel into what appears to be a Woodcrawler nest which are later referred to as Gardens. The deeper we go, the more infested things become, which, combined with the phrase, "mutation of the heart", leads me to believe that these creatures are infecting and mutating Earth somehow from the inside out. The purpose of the red flesh is currently unclear, however we can postulate that it's some kind of artery for the Woodcrawlers crops.
Whether those crops are the Woodcrawlers offspring, Nature's Mockery, or something else entirely is also undetermined, however we know that something is being propagated beneath the ground floor. (soft music) (soft music) Video 12 is an educational film brought to us by the Warner Area Department of Health. In this one, we're going to learn about a condition known as Deep Root Disease. The video's split up into five sections. Roots, Contraction, Bulbs, Diagnosis, and Sprouts.
In the roots section, we observe an obscure illustration of some sort of growth. We're told that Roots begin to form from the underside of something called Bulbs, and as growth progresses, its speed accelerates. Furthermore, its base swells as growth continues, resulting in the surrounding area becoming discolored. (soft music) With this newfound context, we learn that this disease is biologic, driving home the point that this first illustration is taking place underneath the skin's surface. We learn that it progresses rapidly, and after making contact with bones, is able to spread freely. What exactly its effects are, is still unclear.
(soft music) Moving on, we learn how to contract DRD. Here, though, the subject is, strangely, doing absolutely nothing. (door creaking) (soft music) Straight off the bat, we can make the connection between Deep Root Disease and the spot on the camp administrator's neck.
And given what we know from "Lethal Omen" and the player character's transformation in the suicide ending, I'm definitely seeing some correlation here. (soft music) (ominous music) (distant clattering) (static hissing) (ominous music) Alright, so Deep Root Disease. A somatic condition that, given the ending, appears to spread via direct contact.
This video is pivotal because it breaks down a prior assumption about how these human transformations actually work. We initially assumed that Woodcrawlers inhabiting victims bodies were the only way they created fake people, however in this video, we learn of something entirely different that ultimately results in formation of new bones, and shifting tendons. It goes without saying that this alludes to a human to Woodcrawler transformation. The process seems to start slow, but rapidly takes off the longer you have it. With this in mind, I wanted to back up to the Camp Information Video and highlight this section about the former Camp Staff.
As we can recall, they were labeled as vessels. When we first got to this point, we were unsure if this was a reference to Fake People or something else, however I'm really beginning to think that these two terms are synonymous. With Deep Root Disease, it is something entirely different, it's a sickness, a plague, spread by direct contact with someone infected.
It's this affliction that ultimately results in your untimely transformation into a Woodcrawler, leading you to becoming one with them, and gaining a primal desire to hunt, inhabit a vessel, and spread DRD to the next unsuspecting family so they can become one too. So, in short, Fake People are gutted and inhabited by Woodcrawlers, and due to this notion, they likely don't suffer the effects of Deep Root Disease. On the other hand, Deep Root Disease infects humans, creating new bones, and turning you into them. A cycle of life, per se.
(soft music) (static hissing) Monthly Progress Report. Our third venture into the world of Regnad Computing. This one opens by introducing us to various Regnad staff, along with a project name for their AI technology. Following this, they take us through their major advancements through four sections, computer processing, predictive advancement, failure avoidance, and ACL communication. In the first, we learn that Regnad graphical capabilities have drastically increased, resulting in the ability to create 3D models, like we've seen in "Lethal Omen."
In the second, we learn of a breakthrough in their Predictive Advancement technology, which, given the name, seems to give insight into future events. Here, Regnad claims that its capabilities will soon allow their PCs to surpass every competitor within the next year. In section three, they tout their successful avoidance of technological failures. They credit this breakthrough to the so-called support and wisdom from their client, but who this client is, is currently unclear. And lastly, in the final section, they inform us that all communication between Regnad and their client have been recorded from the Artificial Computer Learning monitor room. That recording is as follows.
(static hissing) (computer beeping) (wind howling) (computer beeping) (computer beeping) - [Distorted Voice] Mary sees- Sleeping- The vessel- Jaw- (static hissing) (computer beeping) New things roam- The harbinger- Mary hears- The hungry- (static hissing) Jack. Jack. Jack.
Jack is us. (wind howling) (ominous music) - [Narrator] For the past three minutes, we observed the AI tech in action. Given that, this time, we have a grander, outside perspective on how things work, it allows us to formulate some key points. For one, we can see that the Regnad computers are becoming infected with the sprouts we saw in Deep Root Disease, hinting at the possibility that this mutation can spread through some medium of analog transmission. Two, we realize they're on iteration 1,417, meaning that they've nailed down communication to an art.
Three, we understand that the ACL module feeds the client a prompt, transmitting it through various antennae on the outside of the building. And four, the client, which is presumably of Iris origin, is responding, effectively opening a line of communication between humanity and these creatures. Now, at the end of the video, we observed Regnad's eagerness to meet their client, meaning that they're well aware that they're communicating with something. This is not an artificial intelligence, and these stories bear stark references to what we've seen from Gemini so far. In Iteration 1,417, we can observe that the prompt is Earth, with the response given reading, "Mary sees the gateway die.
Sleeping ones are eaten whole. The vessel floats into the maw. The jaw unhinges."
Now this could reference one of two things. Either we can take it literally, assuming that Woodcrawlers eat people, like the vessels we saw in the Camp Information Video, or we can take this symbolically. The line "Mary sees the gateway die" seems to allude back to Saturn and its rings. Given that they seemed thinner than usual in the Our Solar System video, combined with the fact that it was referenced as the gateway, perhaps Saturn is in the way, of sorts, unknowingly suppressing the Iris' influence on Earth. It's withering away, and at the very same time, the threat of the Iris is ever growing back home.
It wants to mutate, to consume everything, and this vessel we all live on is inching closer and closer to it's demise. The next prompt is Moonlight, with the response, "New things roam the feeding grounds. The harbinger guards in vain. Mary hears a creaking sound.
The hungry eye is welcomed." Admittedly this one is a bit more ambiguous. Could be referencing fake people as the new things that are more active at night, however it's ultimately up for debate. What is clear, is the term harbinger, which clearly alludes to Harbinge Technologies. A harbinger is defined as a person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another. In other words, exactly what Harbinge Technologies is doing.
This line drives home the idea that this client is aware of their existence, and so too of the inadequacy of their products. This explains why the Woodcrawler was able break in so easily in "Lethal Omen." Their guidelines don't work, but they're none the wiser because they probably followed them too, and died. Lastly, with the references to Jack, we can assume that he mutated.
When this happened, is still unclear, however we can postulate that it just might have been when those fake people attacked him. And so, with the way things are going here, I don't think Regnad's onto a breakthrough. Any sane person would pull the plug on this project, however they're pressing onward. I know this won't be good. (soft music) (soft Christmas music) Christmas Eve Party. I love those.
Here, we're placed into a 1985 Christmas Eve Party at Moonlight Acres. (soft music) Things start ordinarily, and the party seems lively. The sun's going down though, and we all know what happens then. (rumbling) (rumbling) (animal howling) (creature screeching) (soft music) (footsteps thudding) (knocking on wood) (wood creaking) (distant indistinct shouting) (screeching) (soft music) (screeching) And so we get our first look at a distinctly different creature to a Woodcrawler. Whatever this is is incredibly large in size, with some sort of tentacles protruding out of its body.
(soft Christmas music) (ominous music) And like that wasn't enough, we then learn that this abomination is Mary. This video is interesting because it presents a contradiction. Mary Dean was listed at the beginning as a videographer, however at the end, she is completely transformed to this.
We know that Deep Root Disease gains speed after it gets to your bones, but, damn, I didn't realize it was that fast. This leads us to assume that Jack and Mary entered the Christmas party normally. Mary's affliction was likely at a very late stage, and she probably figured she could power through it.
With this, the outside shots are potentially filmed by her as she stepped outside to get some air, and, while out there, that is when her transformation finalized. I know it sounds like, and could very well be a stretch, but I'm struggling to find an explanation for why this is. What is cer
2022-02-09 18:39
