skykidsaiph - Tumblr blog

[skykidsaiph]

I am here in the graveyard at Golden Wasteland

[skykidsaiph]

people in the sky subreddit sure do love to do nothing but complain about things that are fine. like for sure the game isn’t perfect and there’s some things tgc should do that people have been asking for, but on the sub they just hate every single little change. like i saw somebody getting mad about the fact that you only see how many people have given a heart to a message if you give a heart first. personally i like this feature. when the redditor was asked about why they didn’t like it they didn’t have an answer, just that it was unnecessary. oh the horror

[skykidsaiph]

i think a lot of sky cotl players dont realize that moths are real people who just dont know how to play the game. like the moth that you “adopted” and are now calling your child might actually be a 43 year old man with 2 kids who just got divorced and is playing the game to cope with his divorce

[skykidsaiph]

Welcome to the environmental lore photo collection that took me three weeks to do! We shall see if we can fit all the photos in!

Okay! For purposes of this compilation I'll not be talking about either seasonal areas or the war! Because those are whole separate topics, and well...

We know enough. Also, I had to lighten several photos, so they might look slightly off to experienced players. It's so you can see!

So, the very first area -

Forgive the quality, this is their second compression lmao. As you can see, we start off with pretty standard Sky Kingdom architecture - blue stone with pale blue paint, topped with gold almost-spikes. There's a landing area from valley (middle left) but it's almost entirely flooded with cloud so good luck landing on it now lol. An overhead walkway (bottom left) that only appears elsewhere in the valley citadel and skate race. Unsurprising, given the proximity.

The interesting things are the campfire, the lanterns, and the broken bridge (top left, right, and bottom right respectively).

The huge campfire and the rows of lanterns speak of low light levels and temperatures. The nature of the wasteland is pollution and corruption, so it's easy to think the thick, dark cloud layer blocking out the sun is a result of that, and thus came about later in the timeline. But it seems to be early enough that ancestors made their own countermeasures to the darkness.

The broken bridge, of course, led down. It's sizable. I wonder what it looked like, before the hurricane? Perhaps they used shuttle boats like the village of dreams? Unlikely - there's no boat debris anywhere on either side, but it's an interesting thought. Either way, it tells us the hurricane wasn't always there...

^ Enter the wasteland proper, and you're met with this. Everything is half buried in sand, the water is toxic, and there's not a candle to be seen (except of course on cake days, as you will see later XD) - this will remain true for the whole realm. Under the hooked arch in the bottom pic is the sapling (clinging on for dear life, surely) and the dock leading to Enchantment.

What purpose the listing building in the centre pic does, I don't know, but if you squint under the left arch in the bottom picture, you'll see there's another one (with nothing inside). Given its placement, it could be assumed one had to pass through it to reach the main entrance. It's highly unlikely they were homes.

Similarly, all those giant broken arches could have enclosed a vast area the size of a small town (figuratively, if we consider the dream village and the aviary) - they're all pointing at each other (as best they can). Valley has proven the smaller version of these are to be walked on, so perhaps guards or manta riders could patrol on them? You do crashland enter under the only standing arch, after all.

The paths, centre right, also seem to be doing badly. Their solidity and thickness means they're not simple flagstones or paving like other areas in sky - they're heavy duty, lined with I believe to be more of that golden metal that bent instead of crumbled. They were built over unsteady ground. Whether that be the sand and toxic water they sit in now or just normal water remains to be seen.

If you look left, you'll see a distant... Factory of some kind. Middle left picture. Pipes leading in or out of it. Whatever it is, production, water purification, waste disposal, it probably doesn't work anymore. If you've played Journey (sky's predecessor), it's strongly reminiscent of an area where you build a temporary bridge connecting the broken arches so you can cross into the enormous building ahead. It's a fantastic sense of scale, to realise that this ancient civilisation ringed a significant portion of way around the base of this gargantuan mountain.

Half buried statues guard the crumbling entrance - smaller than the gigantic ones in the valley stadium, but pretty much the same otherwise lol. Given the amount of buried rubble around them and the chasm in the stone above, did something burst in... Or out? The mystery isn't solved on the inside, but at least the corridor isn't completely blocked. Sky kid (me!) for scale! It's interesting, how apart from the obviously ceremonial dramatic valley statues, these are the first things we see of anything resembling combat or even weapons. A culture which has a concept of militaristic might. They're guarding something important. (Vault, duh.)

No! Unlike what you'd think, the important thing becomes clear immediately. The collosal, toppled bell (I always wondered if they were hollow), the odd ceremonial structure it landed by (top left), those funny diamond bells (top right, top left if you squint), the studded cylinders (bottom left). The hastily stacked rubble blocking the krill's sight (bottom middle), the ripped open roof (bottom right).

It's identical to the forest elder shrine. This is a temple. Could this have been the original location of the wasteland elder shrine? The only remaining proof of a secret eighth elder, now subsumed?... A cool shaped building the architects took and ran with? We don't know. Whatever it was, it was clearly of great import. Most likely ceremonial, or for worship, or, heck, the equivalent of a podium specifically for big grand speeches. When the roof was there, it was an enormous, grand room, guarded by stern stone giants twice over and blocked by the same great doors that hide the forest glade. The ones that light up and spin and only open after meditating and meeting the elder...

There's no sign of those doors now, which is impressive. Probably where they got the stone for the krill blockade and the hiding places along the little bridge. Good thing they're gone, then, because those magic hinges seem to have run out of juice and gone dark. My theory is they were there to keep people out - a barrier between the last traces of peace and the battle torn graveyard we're about to walk into. (Another potential point in the 'prev wasteland elder location' - an ancestor would have to pass through him to enter, and the enemy on the way out.)

There's pipes now, too - I can only believe they were a later addition, given how haphazardly they coat the walls, and the industrial pollution aesthetic much more suited to the grimy, bleak wastes of today than the gilded ceremonial hall this once was.

Just off the left after the main temple area, there's a large room, ceiling also torn off. I can only describe them as pedestals, but what stood on them I don't know. My first thought when I found this place as a moth was a wardrobe/constellation/friend constellation thing, but it's??? Eh. If it were statues, they're long gone with no sign, and they're not big enough for anything mobile. This room served a function, that much is clear, but if decorative or practical I doubt we'll ever know.

^ The graveyard. This is its actual name, I believe. Fitting. The wasteland title promised us Vault, that's all this place is now good for, so that must be the vault we see looming in the background, tower reaching into the low clouds. (If you've played Journey, you're already familiar with the tower idea, so it's easy to slot the two together.)

Here you'll find, uh, krill. There's four here, the highest concentration of krill in all sky lmao. You'll find giant skeletons. You'll find sand. Toxic water. And that's kind of it.

Interesting things abound, however! There's a fleet of sunken, broken boats (middle left), a campfire now overgrown with dark plants (not shown) and a giant crab roasting campfire with a poor, beloathed by the community, crab loving spirit (middle). We can only assume he's the one who built the campfire! Thanks dude! Please have an easier relived memory! (should we call it a seance??) Now, given the guy is an elderly dude who carries a guitar and spends his time chasing crabs all across the dang map, he's probably not a warrior. Heck, with the amount of crabs, he probably arrived after the pipes. After the war, even? On the middle right pic is the weirdly undecorated entrance to the sunken ship.

Of course I looked at the skeletons and compared them! Each wasteland one had tiny scratches or notches in the spine spikes, and yes they aren't there on the other, but otherwise the size and shapes are identical! These skeletons are whales, as proven by the skeleton in forest haunted by the whale whisperer! The poor forest whale died of head injury colliding with the building, so there's every chance these guys were also used in warfare for similar reasons - maybe even specifically bred to fight the krill - but it could also have been a tragedy of mass extinction during what turned the graveyard into what it is today. :( That you can find a Rythm spirit in a skull tells us the troupe came about a LONG time after the deaths.

^ To the shipwreck! The first pic I caught during the shard event (though they landed all the way in prairie!) lol. It looks so ominous... Outside of the seasonal enchantment beauty, this is the biggest vessel in the game, and much more utilitarian. Unlike SS Enchantment, this thing was a tanker, not a home for those on board.

Featuring - the only decorated pipes in the kingdom (middle left)! Life boat deployment cranes (bottom left)! A beached lifeboat, bottom right :(. A boat still attached (feat me). More of those weird diamond bells for cargo, which proves they were a valued commodity and at least semi mass produced and shipped around the kingdom! More than the craftsman in prairie, or the tree fellers in forest, they prove a thriving, stable kingdom steadily advancing in technology and society! And the boat being pointed to the temple - incoming goods? Potentially, for Vault?

The krill decided it didn't want to be in the top pic, but I swear he's there XD... Most likely what sank the ship, tbh. It's not caught on some rock, or ledge, or ditch. In fact, the bottom is more intact than the top!... I think the krill escaped the warzone and caught the arriving ship, possibly spotting an unlucky crewmate through those big arched windows. The memory of the saluting captain walks the wreckage of his ship, sending away a loyal crew member on the second last life boat, back out to sea. Whether it's the boat dashed on the rocks or if they escaped the krill I don't know, but we know the captain didn't. Crab whisperer passes through later, so we know the light seekers are also post event.

We've reached the entrance to the vault! It's.. Smaller than it looks from a distance. Vault must be a shorter building hidden behind it, or far enough away it vanishes into the smog. Under a shard event sky, the black waters look like blood.

The first thing you see of the battlefield is the large, imposing building, now listing to one side and rimmed with stakes (cheval de freise, if you want to be fancy. Large caltrops... When your mounts and enemies can fly). There's only one spirit here, lookout (middle left). Whether it was supposed to be a temporary building (UNLIKELY) or whether they didn't build it properly and the sandy ground subsided over the aeons that have passed between then and now is up to interpretation, but at least this time the lack of roof seems intentional. I'm more annoyed it doesn't line up with the temple, I had to stand literally on the right wall to get the bottom picture and it's still slightly left!

Lighting the crystal triggers three krill to emerge from the ground and start hunting. (One time I visited some unknowing friends who triggered the gate... A krill emerged less than a metre from me with no warning... Terrifying XD.) Previously they used to spawn basically on top of the players and you had to run for your LIFE, but now they take a leisurely stroll in your direction, so you've got plenty of time to wander your way to safety. Maybe stop and get an ice cream. Boring :/. In terms of lore very fascinating and scary, given the last stand and the aurora concert both seemed focused on defending the crystal. This whole time... It was rigged. By which side, I don't know.

The shrine! ^

From the outside, a large, ominous building covered in pipes and statue towers. On the inside, an octagonal chamber many stories high. Like the rest of wasteland, what little decor there is is chockers with that hollow star shape that symbolises light, the king, all that good stuff. There's six ginormous double doors ringing the chamber, all tightly shut. My first thought was six realms, one war council. Nothing to prove or disprove that lol. It would have been a great place for diplomacy, though, without the shrine statue. Sand everywhere, probably through the gaps in the ceiling lol. Beautiful door.

Wasteland elder himself!!! His weapons are the ones arranged on his shrine - whether that means he can manifest in the world and grab them or if they're stone recreations of the ones he carries at all times, I don't know. He's never been seen in any memory or cutscene of war, so maybe he can't manifest... We know the isle elder can, in the song runaway of aurora. His space is the very same place as the Crystal outside his chamber, facing out, and he points his spear towards where the kings star would be, the crowning jewel of his tower. We can safely assume whatever his role, he was defending Vault and Eden behind it. And he succeeded.

There's so much to talk about with the vault door. Top left, the closed wasteland/vault door. Bottom left and right, the closed forest door. Centre and top right, the open vault door. You'll notice more diamond shapes and boat imagery. But in wasteland, the jewels that presumably power the great door are missing, black. The double switches, inactive. Even when activated, no line traces up and no light appears - only the outlines of the stars and speckled lights hidden on the door itself. If that's not divine intervention from the elder, I don't know what is lol.

Pass through into vault, and see its beauty untouched. But turn around, and see the mounds of golden sand blown in from Wasteland, settling in the still air. Vault acknowledges its protector.

Some final thoughts:

^ For some reason, probably that it's the only place it's not very visible, the shipwreck is the only place where the kings star is absolutely massive and has a ring. Every other place, it's normal! It's probably an old design tgc forgot to update with the rest lmao.

^ An entirely accidental realisation due to my research. Man I love environmental storytelling. Nearly every detail of the mask matches the skull! The IMAGERY.

^ My first attempt to get a good shot of wasteland instead caught a first person witness to an expert krill dodger! I didn't get to talk to them, but know you were caught being very cool in high definition!!

^ I didn't get to talk about this theory before, but every entrance and exit to the graveyard and next door shipwreck EXCEPT their connecting corridor are all huge drops in altitude. Both are the only places you find boats. Both are sodden with black water. The ground is uneven. There's whale skeletons. My theory is that these areas were once entirely submerged! Water areas! Shipping and naval battles and cargo! Abyss proves krill can survive perfectly under water - and all emerging krill do so from water!! It'd explain the sand and the debris and the beached boats and all!

Elder shrines do like their slitted roofs. This is prairie. 'S why I wasn't theorising about the sand in wasteland lol. Gotta get the dramatic shafts of light from somewhere!

The open door and two beautifully poised strangers - well done on completing wasteland! I hope you enjoy vault!!

Pipe theory: these things pop up at the entrance to wasteland and follow you all the way through to the shrine, disappear in vault, and then reappear. They go all the way to the point of no return in eden!!! They're either taking something up, or, considering the amount of pipes that open into black water areas, the general gravity situation of vertical pipes... It's likely they were siphoning something away. Sewer pipes, but evil. Maybe trying to wash away whatever corruption happened to the Eye? It didn't work... Poisoned the waters instead. Maybe they carried water up to the Eye like a kingdom sized cooling system and that drained the waters??

And the photo that started this whole thing, the day I climbed the wasteland temple...

that's not smog. That is a wall. That is the biggest wall I have EVER seen.

Do you see the line under the clouds? The sky box? The 'horizon'?

YOU'RE ALREADY LOOKING AT VAULT.

TGC YOU MOTHERS OF DUCKS.

[skykidsaiph]

okay fuck it i'm actually feeling a lot of emotions about this funny little honk gremlin mmorpg

it's about a dead world. the world is dead and the hubris of the prince of eden killed it. you exist to die. you exist to bring the stars home.

it's about joy. you don't exist to die; you exist to live! you exist to have tea parties with your friends and sit in the hot springs and collect pretty clothes from the spirits. you are a child and the world is new. you go on an adventure and grow up. you keep the best parts of childhood.

you are silly! you love music, you can roll around at high speeds in the clouds and discover creatures of light, you can collect and show off pretty clothes.

a woman who is long dead invites you inside and styles your hair, the way she remembers, the way she used to wear her own. the words i love you are unspoken. the words i love you suffuse the room. she pats your head. you honk joyfully.

you die.

you die, you curl up as the cycle consumes you, you give yourself away until you die.

but death is not the end. because there's a new beginning for you. you have lost so much but the dead are waiting to meet you, they fly with you and bring you gifts as you soar into orbit, they are here because they love you. they wish you well in your next life.

death is a peaceful thing and love is stronger than death. love is stronger than death and you can walk through hell but you will be okay because you are loved and you are full of love.

[skykidsaiph]

praying to the megabird that the next traveling spirit is the anxious angler please please please

[skykidsaiph]

The Origin of the Skychildren

I am back! I have realized that a lot of my theories about sky lore are based on the assumption that Skykids are a different species from the spirits. And I was looking around and saw that, apparently, most of us have a different understanding of where Skykids come from, what they’re made from, etc. So I thought I’d outline my headcanon about the origin of the Skychildren for reference, and to make sure all of my theories are a bit more streamlined in the future. 

I have also included the obligatory "keep reading" thingy because this post gets really, really long.

Okay. So. From what I can tell, the first appearance of the Skychildren occurred before Eden fell, in the Isle of the Dawn. In the memories of the Ushering Stargazer, we see a Skykid fall from the sky meteor-style. In some histories, this Skychild has been identified as the first (and last) king of Eden.

Now, the timeline I am about to outline differs from person to person. Sky lore is mostly fandom-made, so of course, each fan will disagree on key elements. So I will not go into any specifics that do not relate to the topic of this post. Quick disclaimer: I also might accidentally disagree with what small amount of in-game evidence we are given. I tend to focus on the events of the Fall and its effects, rather than the history of the civilization that thrived before the Darkness. So please, please correct me if I get something wrong.

The Prophets of the Isle had several duties, among them the recording of prophecies granted to them by the higher powers. How the Prophecy that is painted on the walls of the Cave of Prophecies originally came to be is unknown. Was it given to any specific prophet in a dream? Or was it given to not just one prophet, but several? Were the prophets so moved by these images they painted them on the walls of the cave? It is possible that it simply appeared one day, immortalized on the cold stone as if had always been there. It is also possible that the cave did not exist until the appearance of the Prophecy, bringing along with it the four elemental trials. 

We might never know. What we do know is this: The Prophecy came, and it detailed the arrival of a king. 

The king could have been anyone, from any realm, any age, any profession. No qualifications were necessary, other than one simple little thing. The king, whoever they may be, had to survive all four elemental trials.

The trials were deadly. One mistake meant death. Still, many threw themselves at the gauntlet, and not one survived. We do not know how long this process went on, or how many thousands tried and failed. The prophets took on disciples and trained them for the trials in a futile attempt to ensure a monarch. 

Then, a child fell from the sky. 

They were a strange being. They had no face behind the mask they wore, but somehow the eye-holes glowed. (I am aware some spirits share the same characteristic, but it is my belief that those spirits were not strong enough to form features as well as memories upon their death). They also had no hair, but that did not seem so strange until the ancestors learned that the child could mimic any hairstyle they wanted, regardless of this handicap. Did the ancestors worship this child? Fear them? Revere them? We do not know. But one of them must have told the child of a prophecy in the cave of the isle, because we do know the child underwent the trials.

And the child lived.

This is the first difference between the Skychildren and the ancestors. The ancestors are mortal. The Skychildren are not. 

To the ancestors, life is linear. One is born, one lives, and one dies. If they are lucky they preserve a shadow of themselves as a spirit to instruct the new generations. There is no going back, only forward.

To the Skychildren, life is cyclical. Death is only a mere handicap, and life is as long as one wishes it to be, if by life you mean “corporeal.” Skychildren are capable of shedding their bodies for a time and ascending to Orbit. Most of the time, this shedding is a choice, although that discussion deserves a post of its own rather than a tangent in this one.

Anyway, the first Skychild lived. We do not know how many times he might have died while participating in the trials, only that he emerged unscathed and victorious. He was summarily crowned king, although whether or not this was a mistake is a matter of furious debate. 

There are other differences between the ancestors and the Skychildren, and for these, we do not have to recount so much history to understand. There are the remnants of a field in the golden wasteland, a ways behind the Forgotten Ark. It was made by the survivors of the shipwreck there. We know it is an attempt at a farm through the memories of the Scarecrow Farmer, who shows us his attempts at keeping the field clear of pests.

What does this field tell us? Well, it tells us that the ancestors needed to eat to survive. If game mechanics are to be believed, the Skychildren do not. Rather, we subsist on what seems to be the glowing remnants of other fellow Skychildren.

Is this cannibalism? I’ve no idea. I also do not wish to derail this post with yet another discussion on the unexpected cannibalism of sky COTL, which I seem to be fond of doing. Moving on.

So, if the ancestors and the Skychildren are fundamentally different species, what are they? The answer depends on who you ask. If you’ve made it this far (Hi!!!), I shall assume you have asked me. Therefore, here are my answers.

It is my belief that the ancestors were human. The few details we know about them seem to fit into the description of a human, or at least a human-adjacent. 

As for the Skychildren, I think they are fallen stars. 

The first Skychild fell from the sky, much like we imagine a star would. And this quirk does not just belong to them alone. Our species is depicted as falling from the sky in the intro to the game. We are creatures of light, so much so that we seem to be made from light itself. Darkness, to us, is poison.

If we are stars, we certainly aren’t very strong ones. That title belongs to the elders, the stars that seemed to rule the humans before the Darkness came. If we were gods, the Elders’ power would be on a similar level to Zeus and Hades, Hera and Athena. The Skychildren would be known as minor deities, perhaps Hecate or Psyche. 

Although we are not strong, our task is a great one. We are to do what the Elders cannot, and that is to save the world they have ruined. It is the Skychildren who were tasked with clearing out the shards in the Season of Shattering, after all. It is the Skychildren who halt the poisonous rain in the Hidden Forest, the Skychildren who heal the Forgotten Ark, the Skychildren who gift the Elders the light they lost. 

We are not strong, but we are many. Perhaps that is enough.

[skykidsaiph]

Since the end of November 2022, TGC has begun to drop some snippets in relation to our Skykid’s past that I currently don’t have explanations for; I decided to post them for open discussion.

Both of these tidbits are currently hard to find, which might be why I haven’t seen much discussion on them, but the fact we’ve been to this world before in some currently-unknown form is fascinating enough that it deserves its own special post.

“At last, you return to this world. Remember, Child— your light is a gift.”

Source: Sky’s newest Intro, rolled out in live on November 29, 2022. This section of the intro can only be triggered by moths (aka players who are entering the realm for the first time) unlike the text in the cave, which is triggered by lighting the candles.

[There is also a moth-exclusive text in the newest intro that refers to Winged Lights as ‘Lost Memories’, which is likely related; however, I don’t have a screenshot of it.]

This world was once so full of Light. With it, we built a Kingdom in the clouds. But darkness came, and the stars fell. Now we are trapped in these realms.

Wake, Child, and remember...

Source: Sky’s Steam page for the PC release.

I would love to hear any ideas on this! I might add to it later with the ideas I’ve heard so far.

[skykidsaiph]

IS THE CHILD AFTER EDEN THE EDEN ELDER?

Hello, Soy again with another theory. Note, these were from my Instagram, but I decided to go more in-depth with them through tumblr!

So, for my theory, I speculate that the child, after beating Eden, is the Eden Elder.

Let's refer to the supposed Eden Elder as "child."

Looking through a metaphorical view, we could say that the child is us. Similar to a yin-yang situation or the child is our light and flame.

However, with my Eden Elder deprivation, let's assume that the child is Resh, that's trapped. Considering the canon Sky lore, we know that Resh is the King who is responsible for the corruption. Our duty as Sky Kids is to free him. However, we can not defeat Eden, and so we get sent to this space where we meet someone who gives us the second chance to be reborn and try to save Eden again.

But more on that later, let's look at clues to support my theory.

Looking at concept art, we were originally supposed to fight Resh. It's no longer in the actual game, but the story is still there.

Noticeably, the concept art used the King Resh design. King Resh is implied to be Sky's antagonist.

But as we fail to save Eden, we get sent to this space with someone who has the Prince Alef design. Prince Alef, being the good in evil and the kinder individual before he became King Resh.

Looking at the similarities with concept art and the actual game, the idea is there. The idea was that someone important was in the space with us, allowing us to be reborn

Continuing on, we get our second chance to be reborn the moment we interact with the child. This is because the child is the Eden Elder, and he is giving us chances to save Eden and try again. Also, we could only imagine the loneliness he must be feeling, so the hug we give just supports my theory with how the child is a person with feelings.

It's a bit different based on concept art since we clearly see that Prince Alef descends to our level and holds our hand as if we beat the game. (Which is obviously not the same case for the actual game)

But considering how both concept and official have similar elements with meeting someone, it can only mean the same thing and that we have met the Eden Elder after doing Eden.

-----

How is this essential for Resh's character?

With this theory, it adds more to Resh as a character.

He is responsible for the corruption of his kingdom, and he's obviously upset and most likely guilty. So guilty, we first see him curled into a ball.

Not only is the entire civilization dead, but it is also his freedom with him being trapped in the storm. The player giving him a hug triggers him to make us reborn to go try again.

Metaphorically, this also means that the Eden Elder can not be saved no matter how many second chances he has given us.

---

To conclude, this is all I have. I hope it makes sense, and it doesn't sound too forced. But I truly believe that this could be the actual case since it fits with the storyline so accurately.

Anyways, thank you for reading. ♡

[skykidsaiph]

In the last video on Instagram (the sky trivia one), Sky team referred to players getting attacked by Krills as "receiving hugs" from them

And aside from being funny as heck, it immediately nosedives when you remember they originally were those big gentle creatures that liked people so much they were used as transport, and they probably used to excitedly run at people and swoop them in the air

Krills do the exact same as soon as they spot you, they may be still trying to play

But they hurt

* cries *

Aside: the creatures in the Nintendo switch trailer (that are probably the original dark dragons) look like the big manta in Vault. Which i guess it's not a manta then 😅

[skykidsaiph]

The Forgotten Ark

Not much was known about the Forgotten Ark when it was first discovered off of Wastelands sea. The wreck of a huge ship with fins that could still move thanks to its on board power diamond. According to the images painted on the ships hill, it was brought down by a dark dragon and buried in the sands.

It is my belief that, due to its cargo, the proximity of other wrecks in the vicinity, and it’s access to the Wind Paths, it was originally part of a convoy during or very near the start of the War of Light. The spells onboard appear to be of a variety, each spell corresponding with the five elements; earth, air, water, fire, and light. It’s unlikely that this vessel was filled with war supplies. The weapons that my team have excavated are few, and are archaic compared to those found in the battlefields of Wasteland.

The spirits have not provided much information. Their memories are blurred, though they remember the crash and it’s aftermath. The guide does remember that their destination was the Vault, but little else. Perhaps this is for the best. I wonder, with the now regular red shards that fall in the vicinity, that perhaps something similar ended their lives after they made their home in the wreck.

[skykidsaiph]

Hello! First of all, I would like to thank everyone for the support I received on my last lore post; all of it absolutely blew me away and I’m incredibly grateful for it.

For this post I want to talk about what is likely one of the most popular topics in conversations on Sky’s lore: the war in Wasteland.

Despite being the central focus of an entire realm and its elder’s story, as well as maintaining a looming presence in the background of many spirits’ lore, little is commonly known about the war. This post includes my best speculation on the events leading up to, during, and after it, backed up with observations from around the realms and pictures from my dear friend @alasdair-pl to help illustrate everything.

This was not a war against creatures, as is often assumed. The ancestors (and elders!) involved were fighting each other. But why?

A brief content warning! The text below the cut includes the sort of topics you would expect during discussion about a fictional war: violence, death, occupation, invasion, and destruction of people’s homes, as well as the inequality that caused it. It also includes brief mentions of animal harm and death, although it doesn’t go into as much detail as my darkstone post.

In my previous post on darkstone and its role in the civilization and later kingdom, I described how the places where darkstone was produced often weren’t the places it was used the most. Hidden Forest is a bit of an exception to this, as it’s partially themed around the era when darkstone was first discovered and the civilization was experimenting with its capabilities as much as they could, but for yet-unknown reasons it was not involved in the war. For this post, there are two specific realms I will focus on.

This is the Citadel in Valley of Triumph, my favorite place to illustrate how much Valley loved darkstone. You find refined darkstone almost everywhere in the city; in the Citadel, massive discs of it make the intricate golden orreries — which serve no purpose other than decoration — spin endlessly even centuries after their creators died. The entire structure is suspended above the clouds, presumably by a massive crystal we can’t see, and the inaccessible height of some of the buildings implies that darkstone-powered elevators were necessary to reach them.

The rest of Valley contains similar cutting-edge infrastructure that relies heavily on darkstone. The gondolas in Village of Dreams are the most practical way to reach Hermit Valley and require refined crystals of great size to work. The remnants of an entire floating obstacle course can be found in the flying race. The Village Theater uses darkstone devices to provide the backbone of its special effects and to automate things such as certain props or the curtains moving at the pull of a lever. The Coliseum includes more of the already-mentioned orreries as well as fancy hidden mechanisms to shoot off fireworks or provide special lighting to the ice rink in the center. There’s even more ways darkstone is used in Valley than just this; listing them all would derail the post, but I’m sure you get the picture.

In contrast, these are the two of the darkstone mechanisms in Wasteland. The first is an inner mechanism from a darkstone refinery, meant to automate a job apparently too difficult for ancestors to perform. The second is meant to lift a heavy stone grate built to keep krill from entering the temple.

Other uses of darkstone in Wasteland include powering a large cargo ship (crab fields shipwreck), the towering anti-krill turrets, and the alarm system and lighthouse in Treasure Reef. (The Ark is not included in this since it likely came from another realm).

None of these are purely decorative or not necessary for survival like the orreries and the fireworks and the floating obstacle course are. There is, overall, less darkstone in Wasteland than Valley; and what darkstone you do find is used for mechanisms that both handle something that could not be done manually and that perform a function that helped keep ancestors alive and the realm functioning on a basic level.

Wasteland is also, coincidentally, the place where we find most of the kingdom’s refineries. It is also the place most harmed by the effects of darkstone pollution: almost every creature you meet is corrupted, the land is unlivably polluted, and the water shines like oil and saps your light. Dark, hardened sludgy waste from refineries slithers out of gargantuan pipes and into the neighboring ocean. The Graveyard is piled high with the skeletons of creatures that died either to light harvesting or to the pollution that ravaged the landscape in its wake.

There is no feasible way that all those refineries and all that pollution came solely from the production of just the darkstone mechanisms in Wasteland, and Valley, with a whole infrastructure built on using darkstone to its fullest potential, has no refineries or pollution in sight.

The conclusion is clear: the main producer of Valley’s darkstone was Wasteland (and to a lesser extent Forest). Part of the reason Wasteland is a wasteland now is because of the numerous factories built and creatures killed to power mechanisms few of its ancestors would ever see the benefit of.

It is easy to see why there would eventually be conflict.

These pictures show two shields from Wasteland with two very different symbols. One bears a stylized sun, the symbol of light all around the kingdom, while the second depicts a diamond in reference to darkstone.

The prevailing theory on what these shields mean is one of the oldest theories in Sky lore discussion, was originally titled the ‘two shields theory’, and has changed only slightly over the years. It essentially states that each of these emblems is in reference to a different side: a ‘sun’ anti-darkstone side and a ‘diamond’ pro-darkstone side. This, several memories in Season of Remembrance, and Seed of Hope’s quest, show that the war was almost definitely between two groups of ancestors.

My current theory is that the ‘sun’ side represents Wasteland, fighting to end the industry that has tattered their home beyond repair, and the ‘diamond’ side represents Valley, fighting to regain control of the substance that both literally and figuratively keeps their city afloat. While a basic ‘good sun side versus evil diamond side’ dichotomy often gets applied to the war, I think this is a heavy oversimplification of the situation. Valley would (again literally) crash and burn without darkstone and entire tracts of it would be rendered inaccessible. Wasteland was on the verge of losing their home. This oversimplified perspective also forgets that, at its core, this war comes from a story meant to make the humans playing it reflect on themselves, and because of that, some touting it may relate more to the diamond side’s experiences without taking the time to realize it. In the end, both realms involved fought to preserve themselves.

We don’t know exactly how the war started yet; my personal favorite idea, developed with friends, is that Wasteland refinery workers participated in a massive strike that evolved into riots and finally into outright violence. However, we can very easily guess how it ended.

One of these realms is wealthy enough to outfit all its soldiers and even some athletes with armor, is largely intact, and is called the Valley of Triumph.

The other is almost entirely destroyed, has numerous soldier characters either without armor entirely (courageous soldier, lookout scout) or with reused armor that doesn’t fit them (wounded warrior), has an elder that seems to be visibly wounded in their cutscene and from the massive cracks on every version of their statue, and has an army that apparently got pushed back so far that their final stand battlefield was right in front of their temple, where they physically couldn’t retreat any further.

The war was all but unwinnable for Wasteland’s army. In the end, their fate had been decided before the fighting even began.

NOTE: This is by no means going to be the last post I make about the war; it skips past some really interesting details about Valley and Wasteland’s themes, as well as Vault’s involvement, in favor of a summary that is about as short as I can manage while still adequately explaining the basics. I will hopefully talk about those later. For now, I hope all of you enjoy this absolute monster of a post!

[skykidsaiph]

ho if it's no bother can you pleeeease tell me who alef is.i keep seeing ppl talk about them but cant find anything on them sky lore is confusing sob

Alef is the name of the prince of the ancestors in the concept arts of the game!

(They're that little dude floating above the Valley Elders)

The story in the concept arts has been changed numerous times and is different from the current game so they're widely believed to have been scrapped. However, you can find Alef in the murals at the Cave of Prophecies (I'm on my phone rn so I don't have pictures of those). One of the stories you can interpret from the murals is that the Trials are very dangerous and only Alef was able to successfully go through them all and survive which is why he's the prince.

There is also a king named Resh, though as of right now it's unclear if they are the same person or two different people. The numerous tall dark pillars with the star shape at the top that you can find in Golden Wasteland are actually statues of Resh

(end of game spoilers)

Alef is also the light child that you meet and hug after you pass through the Eye of Eden!

[skykidsaiph]

the sky concept art masterpost!

i compiled a bunch of official sky concept art in a google drive folder because i got incredibly sidetracked looking at elder references. it’s not all illustrations; there are a few 3d images from the game’s development. i also included dev notes when available as well as the slides from the art of sky presentation.

Keep reading

[skykidsaiph]

New Sky Children of the Light players, I need you guys to know that whoever says " oh Sky Lore IS this-" and then proceeds to tell you what the game means is just giving their personal theory. Very very little has been actually confirmed. Half of the fun is deciding what all the symbolism and hints mean to you and putting that story together yourself. At least until more info is revealed. So if you don't like someones interpretation, remember they probably are guessing.

[skykidsaiph]

!! Essay Post Ahead !!

As of Today, this Hole is becoming the dumping ground for all of my Sky Lore Rambles and I am very excited to start with one of my favorite subjects, darkstone!

Darkstone is the term for the blue gray crystals seen almost everywhere in the world of Sky:

NOTE: The term ‘darkstone’ currently appears only in concept art, with no name beyond ‘resources’ given for these crystals in the game’s current version. Because ‘darkstone’ is the most common fanon name to my experience, I use it exclusively. Also, the title specifies ‘normal’ darkstone; this is because I want to talk about corrupted (red) darkstone separately.

Darkstone is an absolutely fascinating material. Part of me wishes it was real just so I could study it. When charged, it has the ability to make even the heaviest of objects move or float; this is used to great effect in order to make doors that can keep out almost anything, and to create boats that could fly through the air, as ancestors and elders could not naturally fly. It has the ability to record and project the shape and memories of any light funneled into it; this is complex to explain and I will elaborate further in another post, but it’s how memory lanterns work. It holds light like batteries for astounding durations of time, which is likely the reason the Abyss spirits were collecting it. These functions, among others we don’t fully understand yet, have made darkstone an almost ubiquitous presence in the kingdom. Unfortunately, there’s a lot more to the story than just that.

Darkstone begins as large crystals. It may have a connection to the crystals that sprout from us when we’re injured, but this is currently unknown. The largest concentrations of these crystal veins were likely in Hidden Forest, as we find the most evidence of mining there, although at least one was present in the Wasteland archipelagos, as there’s a visible mineshaft and abandoned raw darkstone in Treasure Reef. From there, we know it was collected by miners often working in very dangerous conditions:

These crystals were soon taken to ‘refineries’, where they were cut into either the standard diamond shape or large flat disks depending on function, and then charged. Examples of refineries include the Forest Temple, the second area of Wasteland, and Treasure Reef.

Mining darkstone out of the earth undoubtedly cost many lives. Both spirit memories revolving around miners show the spirits in question actively being harmed by dangerous working conditions such as cave-ins and ambient darkness pollution. However, the cost required to ‘charge’ the darkstone proves to be the most visceral portion of the entire darkstone creation process, and was so controversial that a conflict over it may have caused the war in Wasteland.

The text and images below the cut contain topics such as animal harm and death.

In the modern day, skykids can activate darkstone with their candles. Once given light, the darkstone is ‘charged’ and — like a battery — contains the power to perform various tasks, usually making an object like a door or boat move and float.

Ancestors did not have convenient, renewable sources of light with them at all times. What they did have was mantas.

Mantas were captured from the sky and possibly from the sea, using massive nets like the ones shown above, then brought to refineries and held there until their light could be drained and put into darkstone to charge it. This is why we can find and free mantas in both the Forest Temple and the Treasure Reef refinery; this is also why there is a noticeably out-of-place manta in the second area of Wasteland. Whether mantas were bred for this purpose similar to how humans treat livestock is currently unknown.

The exact mechanics of the draining process are never strictly elaborated on, most likely because they were not the sort of thing to put in an all-ages game, but murals in Treasure Reef offer vague hints as to the process used.

The black hardened sludge often found around refineries and the dark water created when it interacts with fresh water is almost definitely a waste product of this process. When it entered the water supply, this darkness pollution began to corrupt the creatures who lived in the ocean, as confirmed by Days of Nature splash text describing the dangers of the Sanctuary Vortex:

Golden Wasteland, as the realm with the most known refineries, received the brunt of this pollution, destroying their land and the creature populations within, as well as creating massive unkillable, corrupted monsters that are so dangerous the Enchantment spirits chose to attempt surviving on a desolate island rather than cross the path of - krill. Keep this in mind, as it’s very important for speculating on the causes and participants of the war, but to avoid derailment I will only touch on this briefly in this post.

With the horrible weight of thousands of light creatures and ancestors lost to mining accidents, why did they keep using and producing darkstone?

This is a question that, unfortunately, is rarely handled with as much nuance or thought as it should be. No, ancestors and elders are not evil. Sky is, at its core, an environmentalist game, with messages to match. The ancestors’ continued usage and production of darkstone despite its cost is very likely meant to parallel humans’ usage of fossil fuels. In fact, numerous aspects of darkstone usage and production among ancestors parallel the way humans as a whole bear the cost of pollution to drive our industries: the places creating the material are very often not the ones seeing its benefits. Two realms in particular showcase this dichotomy the best, which I will elaborate on in another post.

One thing, above all, is clear: in the end, the message of the darkstone story doesn’t point a finger at the kingdom, but at us.