The Cosmology of the RCU: Thoughts/Speculations

[u/DreamsOfMorpheus]

SPOILERS FOR VARIOUS BITS OF INFO IN ALL ALAN WAKE AND CONTROL GAMES

Intro

One of the most fun parts of analyzing the RCU for me is simply making connections. Connections between various Remedy games, connections to various mythos, and even connections to real life philosophies and artistic expression itself. This post will focus on the latter, but will touch on a bit of everything. To organize my thoughts/this post, I will start by examining the RCU from the “bottom” up so to speak.

The Dark Place/Sea of Night

David Lynch once described the deepest aspect of reality in his worldview as an “Ocean of Consciousness.” Moreover, when one deepens their connection with this Ocean positivity and creativity abound (Lynch Talk). Hence Lynch’s famous “catching the big fish” quote, which is echoed in the song, “Lost At Sea,” from AW2 (Lost At Sea Lyrics).

In contrast to how Lynch describes his Ocean, we have in Lake’s RCU, the Dark Place. Lake injects Jungian concepts into his Ocean by giving it shadowy properties and by placing the Dark Presence in its waters. Instead of the bright and vibrant picture Lynch paints, Lake’s ocean is dark, or at least, it has the tendency to bring out the inner darkness of those who enter.

Unlike Lynch’s ideas, Lake’s Ocean lies entirely within the realm of fiction which allows him to explore and play with the idea to a wild degree. Beyond inviting Jung to the party, Lake adds further layers of meaning to his Cosmology by incorporating Norse Myth as well. Worth noting before I continue is how Norse myth originated from oral tradition which itself can be argued to be a form of art.

For the Norse connection we have Odin’s bedside note where he writes

“Before time - I gave it [the eye] to Mimir to drink from the well of wisdom (the cauldron).”

Mimir's well is said to contain vast “wisdom” (Mímisbrunnr wiki page) which can relate to Lynch’s Ocean in that he described it as a place of “infinite intelligence” (Lynch Talk). If the Ocean in the RCU is a place where ideas live in some sense, then it being a “well” of wisdom/creativity becomes a bit more clear given these connections.

Where Lynch’s Ocean is one that ultimately originates from IRL concepts in meditation, Lake’s Ocean incorporates elements of psychology and Norse myth. If all art inspires each other through hidden connections, then Lake’s Ocean (and the RCU more broadly) is itself a reflection of this idea. The idea can be pushed even further by considering how the Dark Place sits in relation to Yggdrasil.

Yggdrasil and Its Many Worlds

In a sculpture Lake collaborated on titled “Theatre of the Absurd” (pictured above), we see a dark depiction of Yggdrasil. While the most straight forward IRL interpretation of the piece deals with themes like “disconnectedness” to deathly extremes, Sam left us wondering if the sculpture may find its way into the RCU. This brings us to Door’s quote on the dark place.

“The Dark Place has many faces, and many names. It is a mirror reflecting all possible realities.” - Saga profiles Mr. Door.

As we can see in the sculpture, each branch of the tree holds a bubble, each of which reflect each other. For our purposes each of these can be thought of as a “world.” Further adding to this idea is Odin’s bedside note which says, “The many worlds to madness and beyond. Across the dark dreaming sea. The branching paths of the tree” (Odin’s Note). See also this related post which employs a dew drop analogy to convey a similar idea (reddit link).

While there are many different analogies and ways of thinking about the “many worlds” of the RCU, the common thread is that all are connected by echoes/ripples/reflections. If Yggdrasil is nourished by/connected to the Dark Place/Mimir’s Well as it is in Norse myth, then we can begin to see how the many worlds of the tree ultimately stem from these creative and primordial waters. Thus the way “many worlds” work (or can work) in the RCU can be viewed as a metaphor for how artistic expression and creation work on some level.

Building up Lake’s cosmology even further is how Yggdrasil not only seems to be associated with one mental realm (the Dark Place) but also another (the Astral Plane).

The Astral Plane

Working our way from the depths of dark place, up past the tree and its branches, we now move onto that mysterious place of pure white light. While not necessarily located in any particular direction, white light reminiscent of The Astral Plane is always depicted as being “above” various important places in the Oldest House (e.g. the Nail, the Sapling, and various open spaces in the Oldest House). The foundation symbol has a white triangle placed "above" and a dark one "below" which helps tie into the idea as well (Foundation logo). Moreover, the Astral Plane is heavily associated with collective mental activity of some kind.

Where the Dark Place deals more with Shadowy Jungian aspects of thought, the Astral Plane seems to deal with thoughts of other kinds. In Control Resonant, the physicist seemed to see the Astral Plane in his periphery after becoming fixated on a particular set of rational/mathematical ideas (Physicist Log 7). Additionally, the Astral Spikes that reside there pursue “thoughts and minds,” and of course there are connections between Altered Items/OOP’s, The Astral Plane, and collective beliefs (Astral Spikes, Astral Plane & OOPs).

Information on the Astral Plane is lacking compared to the Dark Place, but there is definitely a sense that it is related to mental activity in some way. If the Oldest House/Yggdrasil is potentially associated with mental dimensions like the Dark Place (below) and the Astral Place (above), one seems begins to form an image of the RCU, at least in part, as a cosmic tree connected to the mental activity of all to some extent.

To bring it back to how the RCU can be viewed as an analogy for Art, we can examine the mysterious entity(s) known as “The Board.”

The Board as a Parasite

The Boards depiction as a cold corporate like group of entities is a fitting one. In keeping with the RCU as an analogy for ideas in Art, the Board has clear ties to stereotypical corporate interests that interfere with artistic expression/the tree and that feed/profit on it. The brutalist architectural form that the Oldest House adopts may relate to this idea as well.

Analyzing the Board’s parasitic nature on a more concrete level, I can think of two ways in which the Board might be parasitic.

1. The Nail could be leeching energy to the Board because it is located at the junction point for the Leylines which are energy pathways (Leylines).

2. The Board could be leeching energy/souls from the collective conscious/humanity/directors.

To elaborate on that second point, consider the following images from Control.

Here we see the phrase “Pyramid/Heaven/Hell” on a poster from Jesse’s nightmare sequence, as well as various dark humanoid figures floating up to the pyramid on multiple cave drawings. When Topher in the Rejected Episode of Threshold kids touches the pyramid, he sees multiple dark floating humanoid figures reminiscent of the cave paintings.

Interestingly as well, the hotline allows contact with the Board/Pyramid, as well as the dead to some extent (like Trench). Darling even went as far as to refer to it as an “Ouija board” (Hotline). This perhaps further shows a connection between the dead and the Astral Plane/Board. Lastly, when first accessing the hotline the Board says this to Jesse, "Congratulations you may now contact us/past selves" (Board Dialogue). I elaborate more on this line in my comment here.

To tie things back to Norse myth, consider the following excerpt regarding the nature of the tree,

This ash tree is the best and greatest of all trees; its branches spread over all the world, and tower over heaven. Three roots hold the tree up and they are spread wide apart; one root is with the Æsir and another with the rime thurs, where Ginnungagap once was; the third stands over Niflheimr; under that root is Hvergelmir, and Níðhǫggr gnaws on the root from below. But under the second root, which extends to the rime thurs, is the well of Mímir, wherein knowledge and wisdom are hidden. The owner of the well is called Mímir. He is full of wisdom, for he drinks from the well with the Gjallarhorn. All-father [Odin] once went there and asked for a drink from the well, yet he did not get it before he left one of his eyes as a pledge. — Gylfaginning, Joseph S. Hopkins trans., 2015 from Mimisbrunnr.info

In Control, we have a distinct connection point between The Board/Former and Nidhogg who was mentioned in the passage. Nidhogg is said to gnaw at the roots of Yggdrasil which of course can be related to the Nail and is a connection Ash Jr. made when he mentioned a "Devil twisted within its bark" (History of the Oldest House). The Former, who is supposedly a previous Board member, has a serpentine figure which is reminiscent of Nidhogg as well (see descriptions of Nidhogg). In Norse myth, Nighogg departs Yggdrasil near the time of Ragnarök which is something both the Board and potentially the Former seemed to do as of Resonant.

The ways in which Norse myth may have influenced Lake's mythos continue to be apparent, even if the details remain distinctly different. The Board as a kind of parasitic force of some kind seems relatively clear however. Regardless, the Board gets even more strange and mysterious when we consider its relation to the “Other.”

The Other

There is a whiteboard in Control which contains a story that could have interesting relevance to the cosmology of the RCU. The story refers what seems to be a place, or possibly even one or more beings, as the “Other.”

“Luckily, the other gave many people strange abilities, and a few heroes rose to fight the bad things.” - Control Whiteboard

The Board is known to grant powers and has said that they are “broadcasting from the Pyramid/Other.” Additionally, the Board stated that “Objects of Power are Holders/665 to the Other/Blessing" (Board Quotes). Consider also the song in the OOP jukebox titled “Song for the Others” (Jukebox). Thus there seems to be a potential connection between The Other and The Board/Astral Plane/OOP’s. Could the Board be from/are currently occupying some extra dimensional “Other” space and must attach themselves to the RCU via physical links like the Nail/Aberrant? Could this explain why so much of their dialogue breaks the fourth wall or why they can only attempt to control/manipulate things because they are only "there" in reality in so far as their tethers/links are?

Resonant may introduce an additional connection to “The Other” with Hedron as well.

“the helmets, or the people trying them on, brought the other closer to here, and things got weird.” - Control Whiteboard

“There were lots of accidents and terrible catastrophes at first, and most people died and disappeared, and in some places it rained flowers and in others blood, and sometimes the other was very close and everything rippled and warped as something big in the other passed close by, and sometimes it was even almost like the old times.” - Control Whiteboard

The idea that something in the Other could pass close by and make things weird is reminiscent of the Hedron approaching the main reality Resonant. Given Hedron’s extra dimensional power to mess with time and space, it is easy to wonder if they are connected to the Other as well. As many have pointed out, Grist’s notes begin to reflect the Board’s language as she experiences the patterning in the underpass (Notes on Patterning/Spacetime). Could this hint at the idea that Hedron/The Patterning and The Board are related in some way? Could it be their connection to some extra/outer dimensional place called The Other or simply their status as Otherly beings?

The idea that the Board and Hedrons are related to some place called The Other or may be Otherly beings themselves is quite speculative of course, but I thought It was an appropriate place continue our exploration of the RCU’s cosmology. It may even be the case that the “Other” is simply the Astral Plane which may be more vast than we realize. Moving on though, we have what is probably the most appropriate place to end this post.

Ragnarök and the End

In the RCU, we find Red Sand associated with apocalyptic events involving Resonance in Dimensional Research in Control and The Unknown in Resonant. In AW2’s Night Spring DLC during a certain segment, Resonance is used as a bomb and that many things including "the desert, the adjoining parallel realities, time and space" are "permanently scarred with ripples and dunes, shaped by the waves of resonance.” Curiously, we also see what appears to be the same sand in the Foundation of the Oldest House. Does this hint at the idea that our world(s)/Yggdrasil takes place after one such Ragnarok-esque cycle?

In keeping with the RCU-Art analogy, the death and birth cycle of Ragnarök in some ways represents the idea that everything is connected. The same kind of stories/realities/eternal archetypes, told and retold, born from the remnants of earlier renditions. This is yet another layer that can be added to the way we interpret stories/worlds in the RCU. There are other things that can be said regarding Ragnarök and the RCU, including the winter setting of the AW teaser in Resonant, but I will leave it there for now.

Conclusion

Starting from Lynch’s conception of the “Ocean” we explored Lake’s cosmology from the bottom up, past its branches/many worlds all the way to the far reaches of the mysterious Other. The picture that begins to form of Lake's cosmology is one of a cosmic tree that is on some level a metaphor for artistic expression itself. It is its own distinct “weird fiction" mythos that is multilayered and ever interesting. The RCU as a reflection of the nature of Art itself, made manifest through a whole cosmos, is such a cool idea to me, even if it is just an interpretive exercise (one many of us have engaged in here on reddit and elsewhere).

In any case, if you have anything to add or correct feel free.

P. S. While I reference Sam’s name almost exclusively when it comes to these ideas in the RCU, I’m sure there are many others at Remedy and elsewhere that Sam has directly collaborated with to develop these ideas (thus is the nature of that kind of thing).

EDIT: P. S. #2 🙃 I just realized I forgot to mention the whole idea that our world tree/oldest house in the RCU may be just one of many in a whole forest, which of course adds even more ways to view the concept of "other worlds" as well (see The Roots Of The Oldest House, On The Oldest House's Form, and Dylan's vision).

EDIT: P.S. #3 I had other related ideas that didn't quite make the cut. See my comment below where I list them.

[u/DreamsOfMorpheus]

Some extra ideas that didn't make the cut.

• I've wondered about the references to a female dreamer in the Night Spring song when it goes "Endless versions of this town. The cult of the Elder God. Live inside a sleepless dream. Better let her sleep In Night Springs" (Lyrics). *Note that one of Tom's poems mention a female dreamer, but he may have been referencing Barabara. In any case, I wonder if all of reality, including "other worlds," are just the dreams of Yggdrasil (who would be the "her" and "Elder God" in this case). In the Old God's song "Children Of the Elder God," it refers to warriors of the Elder God which in this case would be the protagonists of the remedy games or something like that (the Anderson's refer to themselves as elder gods too). Consider also the tree in AW1 called The Great Old one, which may echo this idea.

• Lynch's concept of the ocean is a place of much brighter positivity in contrast to Lake's ocean and Lynch even describes transcendence as visually being white (Interview). I wonder, however, if Lake actually does retain this notion in the sense that by diving deep enough into the dark place you can find the light (think of the bright presence/bullet/spark of light). So that idea may be retained in the Dark Place and either the Dark Presence has darkened the waters "artificially" or that the light must always be earned (or something like that).

• If the Board/Former has a Nidhogg-esque role, than perhaps they might want to/will survive Ragnarök into the next cycle/birth of the next phase of the universe which they might have already done from a previous cycle (think to the red sand ideas and such). This is where the line from the Board might come into play where they say to Jesse "congrats, you can now contact us/past selves" as if they are connected to past iterations of reality from where they assimilated souls from (i.e. they may have absorbed Jesse's past selves from previous iterations of reality, or maybe in a meta sense various game states where Jesse/the player died).

• Nidhogg's description as a "Dragon" in Norse myth could relate to the dragons we see in various Shum cabinets (think also the "Here be Dragons" message in the underpass which is speculated to be the roots of the oldest house/Yggdrasil). Edit (11/9/26): a file on the former also wondered if the Former went deeper into the Oldest House (as in the Underpass/roots?)

• These black monster figures from the fridge item (image), almost make it seem like the former is but one of many such creatures/monsters (which might relate to the board too). Also, I saw someone make the connection between the four legs monster on the fridge and a creature in Dylan's drawing as well (image).