Hello friends - this is a reupload because UA-cam determined that the artwork I used for the Greek mythology was "adult content." Unfortunately, I had no choice but to take the old video down and upload again. Please enjoy my brand-new UA-cam Approved animations for that section!
The whole Decayed series is beautiful in my opinion. It started off as a creepypasta type thing and it evolved into a story about 3 friends who were destined to part ways. I liked the aspect of every other video or so introducing a higher up in the story. Spectators, Execs, Architect, The Keepers, Jacinthe. I loved the "real life" part with Andrew and Mathew talking about life and destiny as a whole. This whole story is beautiful. It reminds me of Avatar The Last Airbender in a way. Some kids who make friends along their journey throughout the world, but no matter what, destiny looms over their heads and there was no choice in the end. As Aang took down the firelord, Andrew took down The Concept. I didn't mean to write this much out but I felt like this series deserves it. I can't say this enough but this is just really beautiful. I can't find any other words to describe it
One thing I take from this personally is that the "loop" represents some kind of mundane routine that keeps young people sane as they enter adulthood, and in which they become trapped and lifeless cogs in a machine known here as an "experiment". The routine could be work or video games or something else. If the experiment were a corporation, for example, then the vessels would be the employees, the loop would be the work, and the execs would be the higher-ups. In that case, the "decay" would be some form of mental illness like depression, from which a fixed routine is meant to "free" you. Another thing is that the loop could also mean a memory we replay endlessly in our heads. Evidence for these theories would be that whole talk between two of the characters about going to college.
I want to see a Minecraft channel that seems like an ARG and everyone keeps expecting it's an ARG, but it's really just casual Minecraft gameplay with a couple of friends and absolutely nothing wrong with it.
I think the overall series theme is that controlling and molding others into their ideal selves is nothing more than a fantasy, even if it is thought to be for their bettering. The course of someone's fate cannot be branched off, as no one can truly follow the same path. The poem in the channel's description shows what it would be like to be controlled by someone who thought who knew best, yet all you can do is watch everyone pass by in life with fulfillment in their eyes, while you sit in a box created by someone you can't even see. The ending is a perfect way to wrap up this series, showing that keeping someone busy or beside you is not the same as living, yet you can't help but watch them suffer on their own, but the point is not to protect them from their future, but to let them acknowledge their past and push on forward, breaking the boundaries of what they were once confined too, and to finally, in a sense, set their spirits free from the shackles of others, letting them spread their wings and bloom into something colorful and unique instead of forcing them to hold on to outdated ideals. I think this series is a perfect metaphor for the difference between being alive and living, showing that the spirit cannot be chained down by the choices of others.
Pretty much yeah, i dont think its meant to be taken as literally as some other ARGs, its more of a story you would find in a book or a movie being told in a not-so-direct manner.
One of the things I noticed is that in the sorta... control panel where they see the level of intelligence for the vessels, they use dyes, which are made from flowers. That might have some hidden meaning. My read on it is it's effectively a philosophy's explanation. The story brings up the question of who's right and who's wrong? Jacinthe, who wanted nothing but to protect people but ended up causing untold suffering? Maybe it's Andrew in the wrong, for deciding every vessel's fate for them? After all, the last parts heavily reference choosing your own fate.
But the souls don't deserve being in a loop. In my opinion it was the happiest ending we could've gotten out of it, yours is different and it's natural for different people to have different opinions
it was recently announced that THE DECAYED's hiatus was to become slightly more permanent lately. i feel like this is worth mentioning. honestly, i felt like if there were more episodes, it would've kinda been bad for the ARG, ya know? not everything needs an epilogue, especially when the ending is deliberately ambiguous
I said it once and I will say it again, this story/ARG was one of the coolest and most enjoyable stories I have seen in Minecraft. It was so deep and full with thought while also being unique and not too outlandish or ambitious. It was super interesting from start to the end. And the ending was the icing on the cake, and one I wasn’t expecting. I hope the creators of this make something like this again. What a story. 10/10.
I think that the reason a sacrifice is needed is because the sacrifice spreads their sentience to the others making them sentient allowing them to escape and escape the concept.
28:33 i personally think exec 111 could be the one recording and uploading the videos. he always had an odd appearance. he was no longer with the other execs and seemingly helped for no reason. he had no personal connection to the main team and was a bit out of place. he might somehow have the power to record and upload it all.
Almost from the very beginning of the entire series, from like episode 2 or 3 I immediately thought that it could be an apology to people trapped in a coma, since those people have to relieve the same moments of thier life over and over again, and the fact that some of them can reach "sentience" and wake up but some must be allowed to rest. Now thats just my interpretation of what it means and its obviously ambiguous as to what it means and to leave it up to each viewer on what it means, but thats what stuck out to me almost from the beginning.
bro RGN im dealing with a friends death and suicide thoughts and the 17:17 to 18:00 is so beautiful and reminds me that life is worth living so thank you for giving me hope
thank you so much for the wonderful replies it makes me realize that even in dark times people can still love and care about one another despite knowing who they are
The ending reminds me of the end of Gravity Falls. "Summer is ending". Everything always comes to an end. We had our last marching band competition last night, and all of our seniors give a speech every year. I don't cry often, but I did last night. The amount of personal growth that we all have gone through in these past two months alone, much less the four years the seniors have gone through, has been incredible. If any of you guys somehow stumble across this, know that we all love you and will miss you in a way that can't quite be put into words. Sorry for my rambling, the ending just reminded me of it, and I wanted it off my chest.
Wait wait wait hold up... why are we just like, blindly trusting Jacinthe? A lot of stuff here is very suspicious. Like, if she wanted to protect them, why not just let them enjoy and explore a regular Minecraft world to their heart's desire? Why was their (probably also infected/trapped?) friend allowed consciousness and made to keep them in line? Why were they not supposed to gain consciousness, and forced to repeat the same loop with slight variations over and over again, of all things? Why such elaborate and traumatizing management and escape prevention protocols? How did she know that these people would all end up in her world, of all possibilities? And of course, how did this all start? The naming scheme is also very suspicious, either Jacinthe is woefully unaware of how ominous it all sounds or it was intentional. I mean come on, "vessels," "keepers," "execs," "the concept," "experiments," "limbo," "abgrund," "grensen," like every single one of these sounds ominous in some way. Definitely not just some system designed for the benefit of its inhabitants. This is all very supervillain-y, kind of reminds me of the classic trope of a villain trying to meld a video game world and real life. And trying to erase/manage consciousness too. I imagine that there's a lot more going on here, that may be revealed in some future series. Jacinthe is definitely not just some benevolent (albeit misguided) force trying to protect these poor souls with this nightmare. (Copied over from the now removed video. Stupid UA-cam...)
My interpretation is gaining consciousness -> wanting to break out of the loop -> spread this awareness to other souls -> find out its not possible without destroying the whole thing, effectively killing everyone and losing this "heaven of blissful ignorance" -> now you have a bunch of souls suffering for eternity trying to escape from an unescapable prison. I think it's a really interesting Concept (he he), if you think about it, the only reason these souls would suffer, is when they realize they're looping. As long as that doesn't happen, they're just enjoying playing with their dear friends for the rest of eternity, doesn't sound too bad honestly. I actually wonder if Andrew did the correct thing with his sacrifice, obviously he doesn't have perfect information nor does he personally want to stay in this place. But if you think big picture, it might've been better had everything stayed the same
@@federicosimkus7979 This is a fascinating philosophical and moral dilemma. Is it better to be free albeit with the terrifying truth? Or to be unaware of your own chains but in bliss?
A question that I still have is what exactly has been going on in the real world? We know that there is a real world due to the journals talking about teens being infected, and we get to see Andrew's and Mathews real-life town (in minecraft though) in one of those days, but we never get any other info about it. What happened to all of the people in the real world? Who is exactly operating the machines that run minecraft, and how did the souls of the teens get into minecraft itself? A theory that I also have is that when Andrew sacrifices himself, all of the vessels who became thinking minds or sentient, the execs, the keepers, and Jacinthe will be transported to the real world, while all of the vessels who never gain Consciousness go to the afterlife. I believe this as the point of the concept is to keep the vessels alive, to keep them alive from the virus, which would have killed them if not for the concept. If the vessels that became thinking minds or sentient have regained their soul or Consciousness, then they would have beat the virus that caused them to lose it, then they should transported back in their real-life bodies. Again, this is just a theory so this could be completely wrong.
This is unrealistic, when the concept is destroyed all the flowers (souls) become free and properly die. Otherwise there'd be no reason to keep sentient vessels from spreading their consciousness to other souls, as that would collectively heal everyone and there'd be no moral dilemma. The theme of the story is about letting go and dealing with loss, while the ending you're proposing sounds more like wishful thinking than what actually happens
Oh my gosh this is insane. I can’t believe that what appeared to originally be just a creepy Minecraft video could become this beautiful. I mean seriously! The Decayed is a work of art! It deserves more love! This is what artists can do when they’re not bound by corporations and stuff! This is what indie studios can do! Works of art!
Okay so I'm thinking this series is an elaborate analogy about letting go and moving on. It could be specially for death, but I believe this idea could be applied to anything. For example, high school graduation when one's hs years were particularly enjoyable and memorable. The quote "don't be sad it's over, be happy it happened" well encompasses this theme. I am intrigued by the other unsolved mysteries, but perhaps They were never meant to be solved.
Sword Art Online: Underworld Arc. Protagonist was hooked to a military grade VR machine to heal his brain injury where logging out is via main console outside VR.
originally youtube at least had SOME human involvement in moderation. now it's all AI doing whatever it feels like, that's why it's so bizarre and inconsistent
When I saw this in my recommended videos I was like " *STILL??!?* BRO, GET FRICK OUT OF THERE MY MIND CAN'T HANDLE THIS MUCH THEORIES AND INFORMATIONS ANYMOREEEE--"
a different way to interpret what happened in this vid is that they both caught the disease that makes their souls in minecraft. then, they are all trapped in their own experiment to preserve their souls since they are in minecraft. jacinthe’s whole intent was to keep everyones souls that was infected to be safe inside these experiments and not cause or be harmed. the architect and the other people have a different interpretation of what they have to do and what powers they have, they only wanna keep them in traps like torture. sandy wanted everyones souls that has the disease to rest in peace instead of being in loops in minecraft, this is why he destroyed the concept.
I watched the entire video again, to hopefully not ruin your retention stat. And your videos have great enough rewatch value that it wasn't boring and also just the new animation alone would have been worth it XD
I have a theory that kargo in the Realite video (number 6) is actually the architect, since that's exactly how he uses the punctuation when he is talking, especially in his name, sandY.
One thing that kept bugging me was, "the hell happened to Serenemist?" Like, she was in her own small room then left behind, and when Retro said everyone was finally together, I noticed her still missing. I wonder what happened to her?
@@craycraywolf6726One possibility is, if the concept is essentially uploading souls into a computer, that Serene might have started suffering from bit rot, which is the gradual decay of data over time from various sources, and might've become deformed, gone insane, is brain dead, or something else
Somethibg i wanted to state, TheDecayed Yt channel has stated that more videos are coming but will prob be delayed as the project is now a one man army.
27:00 Its called the real house, to me the connection is obvious. It's just HIS house, from the real world. Thats why it accelerates his sentience, and it's also why the layout and colors feel more realistic in some segments. Its a fragmented memory of some kind, bits and pieces of his real world life coming to the surface. The same thing can be said for that weirdly real world discussion happening in Minecraft, its this new environment expressing what he knows or knew the best way it can, the only way it knows how. You gotta remember, these characters are essentially in some kind of simulation. The simulation is intended to preserve their identities in some way, or so was its original intention. To keep the memory of who they were alive. Only, it got worse once the board of red and blue folks got involved, and then the execs, etc etc. I also have a theory that ALL execs are real world people like Thomas. Who have become sentient and aware of their position, and have been given executive powers to oversee their various little experiments, that while not their own idea, were probably at the time, the only way they knew how to remain themselves. (This could also be why the architect doesn't take andrew seriously, bevause this has all happened before ans nobody has ever really sone anything about it, nobody's risen up against this structure, yet.) Its likely the architect and those like him, threatened death or, simply, explains that the only other option aside from joining them was death, oblivion, or back into unkowning obscurity. Back into non sentience. This would be enough to convince many people to become executives. As we see, executives have been people for some time. Andrew and matthew are ground zero for the virus. But we see there are hundreds if not thousands of flowers. This means the virus spread like wildfire and ended up killing untold thousands, if not millions. Maybe even more, maybe even the whole planet. This leads me to think that A, the virus was not caused by someone intentionally, and getting stuck in Minecraft was simply a byproduct of someone's attempt to preserve humanity in some way, or B, the virus was intentional, and this was some kind of horrific experiment. In my opinion, A makes more sense, given lady flower (im no good at french words) seems to not have evil or malicious intentions. What you're seeing here, if there was never a cure invented for whatever disease this is, may even be the very end of humanity as we know it. Crazy right?
Basically people are imprisoned on their minds but released casuing energy to expand back to where it belongs and restores their body to how it was before it was stolen if that makes sense
Damn..I can’t believe I went from binge watching Minecraft’s myths to this. It’s so sad, yet very satisfyingly put together. It makes me feel like how different people might view the world based on their thoughts. With Mathew stuck after having quite careless and overall negative view on the purpose of life, keeping him stuck in what he thinks is reality. But Andrew figures it out quicker, and he finds ways to break and find ways to bring more freedom to himself and others. But it makes me wonder about Xiphoid, after he disappeared, we never saw him again. I’m assuming his views were similar to Matthew’s, which would possibly imply that Xiphoid is stuck in the loop in a different world of the multiverse.
After everything I gone through, and all the knowledge I've consumed, this story, this ''Concept'' was important for me to understand, and go through the long grieving I've been suffering. This ARG was so meaningful, I grew attached to it, and now, I need to let go of it. I could just, live in a loop and watch it over again, but then I would go against the message of the end of the Concept. Just like the death of my father, and for whoever is reading, that is going through grief, or perhaps the fear or anxiety of keeping a repetitive routine, we need to let go, or else we can't live. Thank you, Retro, for showing us something so beautiful, and I must thank the guy or people behind the ARG, for putting up everything for us to watch and interpret. (I kinda got confused in my words, but if you are able to understand what I mean, that's what matters.)
When Jacinthe started talking I immediately said to myself "Disco Elysium moment", she sounds exactly like Judit Minot. I love me some nice french representation
when andrew begins leaving you can see an store with the same icon that kargosh/tommy had as their indicator in minecraft while inside one of the spectators
My theory post series is every vessel got reincarnated into either new bodies or just themselves again, but in a universe away from 'The Keepers' one that they have no control over. The disease never comes to fruition, and the 3 friends get to play minecraft together again normally
i am one of the few lucky people who actually watched the original version of this video before it was reuploaded (i watched the original 30 mins after it was uploaded)
Me and my friend where watching this and notaced that all the houses where empty and black inside, in the One of Those Days video. We thought that it could be a metaphore for the whole series kinda. We also notased the fog. We origionally thought that it was to cover up how unfinished that map was. But then thought it could be another metaphore. For if your too rapped up in the pressent or what will happen, then you will miss everything around you. I would like to know if anyone else made simular conections.
Doing and doing and doing, without a reason, without a consciousness, without a change, without an end Is there even a day we will see the end of the tunnel, or we just remain Watching life walk right past us, feeling the wind hit our face, letting rain pour all over us Like the grain of sand we are, placed by destiny, where we will forever stay Like a flower, that never bloomed.
This entire series screams one critical issue to me. Earlier in the video, it is mentioned that this "disease" is commonly affecting teenagers in particular. Making them feel mental distress and fatigue etc. Sound familiar? To me, this sounds like a metaphor for depression and suicidal tendencies/thoughts. The online world feels like an escape and many teenagers would say they feel stuck or "sucked into" the internet, an addiction. People change, they get stuck in loops online every single day, they become "lifeless." I have had friends become these people. When you are depressed, you are vulnerable, and when you are vulnerable you are subject to these changes. This is such an interesting concept, I may make my own video discussing this soon in further detail. :)
100% agree. i refer to my internet addiction as being stuck and sucked into for sure, constantly refreshing the same few sites over and over again hoping for something new, but the word i use to describe it more is it feels like im rotting. like i'm decaying related to the word decay, there's something in my eyes about how the series is partially about the inevitable end of everything. its not good or bad, just neutral, and a natural part of life like how decay is inevitable in all things
@@mentallyunstable1926In the end, the main character "left" his friends behind to free himself (and everyone else) from the torment of being trapped in a repeating loop. However, it's not explicitly shown that he or his friends died. I think the ending is much more nuanced than just saying, "the main character and everyone else die, the end." They use the word "sacrifice," which confused me towards the conclusion. When you sacrifice yourself, it typically means you're the only one affected while everyone else is saved. If Andrew made a sacrifice, why did everyone have to go? To me, that feels less like a sacrifice and more like something else entirely. I'm not sure if I'm expressing this clearly, but it seems like the ending suggests they didn’t die; rather, it serves as a metaphor for something deeper. What’s your opinion on this?
@@SyreDoesThings the way i interpret it is kind of like the sacrifice of the known in hopes for a better future. they're literally stuck in a time loop where you always know what's going to happen next, and it's torture but there's some comfort in the consistency and having nothing change. they sacrifice their comfort of the time loop in hopes that whatever's on the other side is better. it's terrifying, it can feel like death in a way because you have no idea what comes next, but it's freeing
@@mentallyunstable1926 That makes a lot of sense! They don't literally die, but stepping out of one's comfort zone can feel just as frightening, especially when feeling trapped and helpless, as well as not yet understanding the meaning of life.
Start of Minecraft ARG: Woah! My chest is inexplicably 2 blocks to the right... End of Minecraft ARG: What are the moral implications of forcing existence on an unwilling entity? Break out your philosophy books ganers
I’ve been trying to read a lot of russian literature, so i can read that book and circle back when i finish. It will be a while though, as the current book I’m reading is a slog Also, in regards to the real house, and it bringing him to sentience, believe that it was shown in different ways at the end of the first few episodes to show the decline of the mood, and his current mental state. Going from all is normal, to something is wrong, to things aren’t as they seem, to I think I remember but it isn’t good. And as to it triggering sentience, it is a common theme in media that when someone is no longer as they were (as in, they transformed in some way or another), a familiar thing from their life before their transformation will cause them to remember everything
youtube can't be doing this. most people who click on this video will just not watch it because they've already watched it which just basically kills this video in terms of reach. since this is a very good video anyway I'm going to watch it in full again and I encourage everyone to do the same.
There's so many QoL features UA-cam could implement into their site, taken down videos should give the creator 24hs to reupload and still count as the same video, as to not kill traction. Not happening though, it's just all about their bottom line at the end of the day
Update on the decayed : The final video on the decayed channel will the final video ever to the story as the creator put out a post today saying they will be leaving the ending ambiguous.
I don’t think the “sacrifice” was Andrew straight-up killing himself, I think it’s just that, since he was still a vessel, breaking the tree/concept at all killed him, as well as the other vessels.
14:27 You should note that a concept of a tree containing reality or the universe itself is not a foreign one. Consider Yggdrasil from Nordic mythology.
If i had a nickle for every time dark video game fan media contemplating the meaning of life referenced House of Leaves i'd have 2 nickles. Which isnt a lot but its weird it happened twice.
I want to also noticed but I also own house of leaves and realized that the owner also has name that starts w M last name with D, was unsure if they were putting a reference on that too
Hello friends - this is a reupload because UA-cam determined that the artwork I used for the Greek mythology was "adult content." Unfortunately, I had no choice but to take the old video down and upload again. Please enjoy my brand-new UA-cam Approved animations for that section!
oh thats fine man
I still love your content either way❤
Glad I got to see the original
Man thats justs stupid
Classic UA-cam L
The whole Decayed series is beautiful in my opinion. It started off as a creepypasta type thing and it evolved into a story about 3 friends who were destined to part ways. I liked the aspect of every other video or so introducing a higher up in the story. Spectators, Execs, Architect, The Keepers, Jacinthe. I loved the "real life" part with Andrew and Mathew talking about life and destiny as a whole. This whole story is beautiful. It reminds me of Avatar The Last Airbender in a way. Some kids who make friends along their journey throughout the world, but no matter what, destiny looms over their heads and there was no choice in the end. As Aang took down the firelord, Andrew took down The Concept.
I didn't mean to write this much out but I felt like this series deserves it. I can't say this enough but this is just really beautiful. I can't find any other words to describe it
I did too. It's existential and deep. But, so good. I loved it.
RetroGamingNow is trapped in a loop uploading the same video
Hope he convieniently uploads a “bug report #1” saying that he already uploaded this
Help... 😭
It's re-uploaded because youtube took it down
@@Jayraldz that was the joke...there is always someone who doesn't get it...sigh =:
@@Jayraldz r/whoooosh
One thing I take from this personally is that the "loop" represents some kind of mundane routine that keeps young people sane as they enter adulthood, and in which they become trapped and lifeless cogs in a machine known here as an "experiment". The routine could be work or video games or something else. If the experiment were a corporation, for example, then the vessels would be the employees, the loop would be the work, and the execs would be the higher-ups. In that case, the "decay" would be some form of mental illness like depression, from which a fixed routine is meant to "free" you.
Another thing is that the loop could also mean a memory we replay endlessly in our heads.
Evidence for these theories would be that whole talk between two of the characters about going to college.
I agree!
I want to see a Minecraft channel that seems like an ARG and everyone keeps expecting it's an ARG, but it's really just casual Minecraft gameplay with a couple of friends and absolutely nothing wrong with it.
Thats sounds brilliant
When they finally enter the exit End portal, instead of the credits scroll it just says "get pranked lol"
I would do that if I had friends and knew how to edit
ua-cam.com/video/sYWUm375bEk/v-deo.htmlsi=kjegF0ss8t2qzf7f it remind me of this video :)))
like the early shadow of israphel episodes.
I think the overall series theme is that controlling and molding others into their ideal selves is nothing more than a fantasy, even if it is thought to be for their bettering. The course of someone's fate cannot be branched off, as no one can truly follow the same path. The poem in the channel's description shows what it would be like to be controlled by someone who thought who knew best, yet all you can do is watch everyone pass by in life with fulfillment in their eyes, while you sit in a box created by someone you can't even see. The ending is a perfect way to wrap up this series, showing that keeping someone busy or beside you is not the same as living, yet you can't help but watch them suffer on their own, but the point is not to protect them from their future, but to let them acknowledge their past and push on forward, breaking the boundaries of what they were once confined too, and to finally, in a sense, set their spirits free from the shackles of others, letting them spread their wings and bloom into something colorful and unique instead of forcing them to hold on to outdated ideals. I think this series is a perfect metaphor for the difference between being alive and living, showing that the spirit cannot be chained down by the choices of others.
Pretty much yeah, i dont think its meant to be taken as literally as some other ARGs, its more of a story you would find in a book or a movie being told in a not-so-direct manner.
The story and ending were beautiful, way better than almost every movie
One of the things I noticed is that in the sorta... control panel where they see the level of intelligence for the vessels, they use dyes, which are made from flowers. That might have some hidden meaning.
My read on it is it's effectively a philosophy's explanation. The story brings up the question of who's right and who's wrong? Jacinthe, who wanted nothing but to protect people but ended up causing untold suffering? Maybe it's Andrew in the wrong, for deciding every vessel's fate for them? After all, the last parts heavily reference choosing your own fate.
But the souls don't deserve being in a loop. In my opinion it was the happiest ending we could've gotten out of it, yours is different and it's natural for different people to have different opinions
@@Ayan_Zeh the soul dont desezrve to vanish etheir right,?
@@BloxGambling
And stays in hell?? Hell no!
it was recently announced that THE DECAYED's hiatus was to become slightly more permanent lately. i feel like this is worth mentioning.
honestly, i felt like if there were more episodes, it would've kinda been bad for the ARG, ya know? not everything needs an epilogue, especially when the ending is deliberately ambiguous
I said it once and I will say it again, this story/ARG was one of the coolest and most enjoyable stories I have seen in Minecraft. It was so deep and full with thought while also being unique and not too outlandish or ambitious. It was super interesting from start to the end. And the ending was the icing on the cake, and one I wasn’t expecting. I hope the creators of this make something like this again. What a story. 10/10.
I think that the reason a sacrifice is needed is because the sacrifice spreads their sentience to the others making them sentient allowing them to escape and escape the concept.
28:33 i personally think exec 111 could be the one recording and uploading the videos. he always had an odd appearance. he was no longer with the other execs and seemingly helped for no reason. he had no personal connection to the main team and was a bit out of place. he might somehow have the power to record and upload it all.
Good theory
Almost from the very beginning of the entire series, from like episode 2 or 3 I immediately thought that it could be an apology to people trapped in a coma, since those people have to relieve the same moments of thier life over and over again, and the fact that some of them can reach "sentience" and wake up but some must be allowed to rest.
Now thats just my interpretation of what it means and its obviously ambiguous as to what it means and to leave it up to each viewer on what it means, but thats what stuck out to me almost from the beginning.
bro RGN im dealing with a friends death and suicide thoughts and the 17:17 to 18:00 is so beautiful and reminds me that life is worth living so thank you for giving me hope
just know that one day youll look back at this hard time in life having learned and grown very much from the experience the trauma and the healing
Yes, not only that but Jesus also loves you a lot, if u have any questions about my beliefs dont hesitate in replying to this comment
Stay strong and keep yo head up above the water! ❤❤
Bruh 😂
thank you so much for the wonderful replies it makes me realize that even in dark times people can still love and care about one another despite knowing who they are
The ending reminds me of the end of Gravity Falls. "Summer is ending". Everything always comes to an end. We had our last marching band competition last night, and all of our seniors give a speech every year. I don't cry often, but I did last night. The amount of personal growth that we all have gone through in these past two months alone, much less the four years the seniors have gone through, has been incredible. If any of you guys somehow stumble across this, know that we all love you and will miss you in a way that can't quite be put into words. Sorry for my rambling, the ending just reminded me of it, and I wanted it off my chest.
Nice.
I don't tend to cling to these kinda of moments. I aways like to form new with my best friends.
Take care.
This is what the Minecraft movie should've been
REAL
xd
Fr tho
Wait wait wait hold up... why are we just like, blindly trusting Jacinthe? A lot of stuff here is very suspicious. Like, if she wanted to protect them, why not just let them enjoy and explore a regular Minecraft world to their heart's desire? Why was their (probably also infected/trapped?) friend allowed consciousness and made to keep them in line? Why were they not supposed to gain consciousness, and forced to repeat the same loop with slight variations over and over again, of all things? Why such elaborate and traumatizing management and escape prevention protocols? How did she know that these people would all end up in her world, of all possibilities? And of course, how did this all start? The naming scheme is also very suspicious, either Jacinthe is woefully unaware of how ominous it all sounds or it was intentional. I mean come on, "vessels," "keepers," "execs," "the concept," "experiments," "limbo," "abgrund," "grensen," like every single one of these sounds ominous in some way. Definitely not just some system designed for the benefit of its inhabitants.
This is all very supervillain-y, kind of reminds me of the classic trope of a villain trying to meld a video game world and real life. And trying to erase/manage consciousness too. I imagine that there's a lot more going on here, that may be revealed in some future series. Jacinthe is definitely not just some benevolent (albeit misguided) force trying to protect these poor souls with this nightmare.
(Copied over from the now removed video. Stupid UA-cam...)
My interpretation is gaining consciousness -> wanting to break out of the loop -> spread this awareness to other souls -> find out its not possible without destroying the whole thing, effectively killing everyone and losing this "heaven of blissful ignorance" -> now you have a bunch of souls suffering for eternity trying to escape from an unescapable prison.
I think it's a really interesting Concept (he he), if you think about it, the only reason these souls would suffer, is when they realize they're looping. As long as that doesn't happen, they're just enjoying playing with their dear friends for the rest of eternity, doesn't sound too bad honestly. I actually wonder if Andrew did the correct thing with his sacrifice, obviously he doesn't have perfect information nor does he personally want to stay in this place. But if you think big picture, it might've been better had everything stayed the same
@@federicosimkus7979 This is a fascinating philosophical and moral dilemma. Is it better to be free albeit with the terrifying truth? Or to be unaware of your own chains but in bliss?
A question that I still have is what exactly has been going on in the real world? We know that there is a real world due to the journals talking about teens being infected, and we get to see Andrew's and Mathews real-life town (in minecraft though) in one of those days, but we never get any other info about it. What happened to all of the people in the real world? Who is exactly operating the machines that run minecraft, and how did the souls of the teens get into minecraft itself?
A theory that I also have is that when Andrew sacrifices himself, all of the vessels who became thinking minds or sentient, the execs, the keepers, and Jacinthe will be transported to the real world, while all of the vessels who never gain Consciousness go to the afterlife. I believe this as the point of the concept is to keep the vessels alive, to keep them alive from the virus, which would have killed them if not for the concept. If the vessels that became thinking minds or sentient have regained their soul or Consciousness, then they would have beat the virus that caused them to lose it, then they should transported back in their real-life bodies.
Again, this is just a theory so this could be completely wrong.
This is unrealistic, when the concept is destroyed all the flowers (souls) become free and properly die. Otherwise there'd be no reason to keep sentient vessels from spreading their consciousness to other souls, as that would collectively heal everyone and there'd be no moral dilemma. The theme of the story is about letting go and dealing with loss, while the ending you're proposing sounds more like wishful thinking than what actually happens
Oh my gosh this is insane. I can’t believe that what appeared to originally be just a creepy Minecraft video could become this beautiful. I mean seriously! The Decayed is a work of art! It deserves more love! This is what artists can do when they’re not bound by corporations and stuff! This is what indie studios can do! Works of art!
Okay so
I'm thinking this series is an elaborate analogy about letting go and moving on. It could be specially for death, but I believe this idea could be applied to anything. For example, high school graduation when one's hs years were particularly enjoyable and memorable.
The quote "don't be sad it's over, be happy it happened" well encompasses this theme.
I am intrigued by the other unsolved mysteries, but perhaps
They were never meant to be solved.
26:24 One of the best things I've seen. You are the modern-day Picasso.
So true!
XDDDD
Sword Art Online: Underworld Arc. Protagonist was hooked to a military grade VR machine to heal his brain injury where logging out is via main console outside VR.
I’ve seen UA-cam allow WAY worse on their platform and I’ve seen people use Greek artwork normally before
Because it's all AI moderation now
@@BLET_55artem55 and the allowing of _sus_ videos because they make a lot of ad revenue
What
originally youtube at least had SOME human involvement in moderation. now it's all AI doing whatever it feels like, that's why it's so bizarre and inconsistent
@@LilacMonarch I’m still confused what happened
RGN videos always feels like you’re watching it on UA-cam premium.
When I saw this in my recommended videos I was like " *STILL??!?* BRO, GET FRICK OUT OF THERE MY MIND CAN'T HANDLE THIS MUCH THEORIES AND INFORMATIONS ANYMOREEEE--"
a different way to interpret what happened in this vid is that they both caught the disease that makes their souls in minecraft. then, they are all trapped in their own experiment to preserve their souls since they are in minecraft. jacinthe’s whole intent was to keep everyones souls that was infected to be safe inside these experiments and not cause or be harmed. the architect and the other people have a different interpretation of what they have to do and what powers they have, they only wanna keep them in traps like torture. sandy wanted everyones souls that has the disease to rest in peace instead of being in loops in minecraft, this is why he destroyed the concept.
I watched the entire video again, to hopefully not ruin your retention stat. And your videos have great enough rewatch value that it wasn't boring and also just the new animation alone would have been worth it XD
This is a beautifully made ARG. I know these people worked day in day out to perfect it, as it really is a perfect depiction of loss and attachment.
UA-cam has been very bad with this stuff lately. They've been hitting history youtube channels hard lately and it's getting extremely ridiculous
Because it's all AI moderation now
I have a theory that kargo in the Realite video (number 6) is actually the architect, since that's exactly how he uses the punctuation when he is talking, especially in his name, sandY.
One thing that kept bugging me was, "the hell happened to Serenemist?" Like, she was in her own small room then left behind, and when Retro said everyone was finally together, I noticed her still missing. I wonder what happened to her?
SAME.
And why did Thomas insist she must be left behind?
Me too.
She was personally one of my favs in this ARG.
@@craycraywolf6726One possibility is, if the concept is essentially uploading souls into a computer, that Serene might have started suffering from bit rot, which is the gradual decay of data over time from various sources, and might've become deformed, gone insane, is brain dead, or something else
one more thing,
WHERE TF IS XIPHOID
@BR44INZ REAL
Somethibg i wanted to state, TheDecayed Yt channel has stated that more videos are coming but will prob be delayed as the project is now a one man army.
Why is it just one person now?
The fact that 111 suddenly appeared and helped them out,is too suspicious
am i the only one who feels like youtube loads this in the chamber every time i fire up autoplay
I've never seen anything more beautiful than your UA-cam-approved visuals. Good job! No, but seriously, I really like it. It's so funny.
a disease? that makes you wanna play minecraft? i call it an addiction mate. i already got it
Time to experience this gem of a story again
27:00
Its called the real house, to me the connection is obvious. It's just HIS house, from the real world. Thats why it accelerates his sentience, and it's also why the layout and colors feel more realistic in some segments.
Its a fragmented memory of some kind, bits and pieces of his real world life coming to the surface. The same thing can be said for that weirdly real world discussion happening in Minecraft, its this new environment expressing what he knows or knew the best way it can, the only way it knows how.
You gotta remember, these characters are essentially in some kind of simulation. The simulation is intended to preserve their identities in some way, or so was its original intention. To keep the memory of who they were alive.
Only, it got worse once the board of red and blue folks got involved, and then the execs, etc etc.
I also have a theory that ALL execs are real world people like Thomas. Who have become sentient and aware of their position, and have been given executive powers to oversee their various little experiments, that while not their own idea, were probably at the time, the only way they knew how to remain themselves. (This could also be why the architect doesn't take andrew seriously, bevause this has all happened before ans nobody has ever really sone anything about it, nobody's risen up against this structure, yet.) Its likely the architect and those like him, threatened death or, simply, explains that the only other option aside from joining them was death, oblivion, or back into unkowning obscurity. Back into non sentience.
This would be enough to convince many people to become executives. As we see, executives have been people for some time. Andrew and matthew are ground zero for the virus.
But we see there are hundreds if not thousands of flowers.
This means the virus spread like wildfire and ended up killing untold thousands, if not millions. Maybe even more, maybe even the whole planet.
This leads me to think that A, the virus was not caused by someone intentionally, and getting stuck in Minecraft was simply a byproduct of someone's attempt to preserve humanity in some way, or B, the virus was intentional, and this was some kind of horrific experiment.
In my opinion, A makes more sense, given lady flower (im no good at french words) seems to not have evil or malicious intentions.
What you're seeing here, if there was never a cure invented for whatever disease this is, may even be the very end of humanity as we know it.
Crazy right?
Historians will call Apollo and Hyacinthus just ‘close’
16:41 i didnt expect to cry a bit
Yh too
The decayed is truly wisdomous, and so creative he is.
Basically people are imprisoned on their minds but released casuing energy to expand back to where it belongs and restores their body to how it was before it was stolen if that makes sense
Damn..I can’t believe I went from binge watching Minecraft’s myths to this. It’s so sad, yet very satisfyingly put together. It makes me feel like how different people might view the world based on their thoughts. With Mathew stuck after having quite careless and overall negative view on the purpose of life, keeping him stuck in what he thinks is reality. But Andrew figures it out quicker, and he finds ways to break and find ways to bring more freedom to himself and others. But it makes me wonder about Xiphoid, after he disappeared, we never saw him again. I’m assuming his views were similar to Matthew’s, which would possibly imply that Xiphoid is stuck in the loop in a different world of the multiverse.
it kind of feels like the makers speedran through the end of the arg. i feel like so many questions were left unanswered.
and also what about serenemist what happened to her
and where xiphoid at 😭
@@BR44INZ he was killed by one of the execs
@sijnkkkkkk8304 WHAT 😭😭😭
@@BR44INZ yep
This is probably one of the most beautiful, high quality and meaningful ARGs I've seen. Kudos to the people who were behind it!
After everything I gone through, and all the knowledge I've consumed, this story, this ''Concept'' was important for me to understand, and go through the long grieving I've been suffering. This ARG was so meaningful, I grew attached to it, and now, I need to let go of it. I could just, live in a loop and watch it over again, but then I would go against the message of the end of the Concept. Just like the death of my father, and for whoever is reading, that is going through grief, or perhaps the fear or anxiety of keeping a repetitive routine, we need to let go, or else we can't live. Thank you, Retro, for showing us something so beautiful, and I must thank the guy or people behind the ARG, for putting up everything for us to watch and interpret.
(I kinda got confused in my words, but if you are able to understand what I mean, that's what matters.)
Ok this series is so GOOD. its top tier story telling, and it has great Lore. It almost has no plot holes and it just MMMMMPPPPHHH
Ahh, of course UA-cam's going nuts again on false flags.
When Jacinthe started talking I immediately said to myself "Disco Elysium moment", she sounds exactly like Judit Minot.
I love me some nice french representation
i swear ive watched this video so many times
You're trapped in a loop
Wait-
This series made me almost tear up....
Matthew's journal,
The Vessels, Execs, Keepers, And the Caretaker
and...
Andrew's sacrifice.....
18:08 wow…
Limbo is not the first circle of hell. It is what Dante visits before he enters hell; a separate place.
I said this on the old video, so I'll say it again here:
0:34 Pun intended?
The my house gave me a doom my house jumpscare
This is not an arg..., This is a, Best movie i ever seen....
when andrew begins leaving you can see an store with the same icon that kargosh/tommy had as their indicator in minecraft while inside one of the spectators
What’s better than watching RGN once, watching him twice.
Someone: the r32 is 4545 milimeters long and 1755 milimeters wide and weighs in a-
Me: shut up, Retro posted a new video
My theory post series is every vessel got reincarnated into either new bodies or just themselves again, but in a universe away from 'The Keepers' one that they have no control over. The disease never comes to fruition, and the 3 friends get to play minecraft together again normally
i am one of the few lucky people who actually watched the original version of this video before it was reuploaded (i watched the original 30 mins after it was uploaded)
We'll have to keep an eye out for Selener
26:22 is the best interpretation of this story there will ever be
What happened to serenemist as well? If the series dose continue, then I hope we can see her return
W storytelling and video I actually almost started crying at the end.
Me and my friend where watching this and notaced that all the houses where empty and black inside, in the One of Those Days video. We thought that it could be a metaphore for the whole series kinda. We also notased the fog. We origionally thought that it was to cover up how unfinished that map was. But then thought it could be another metaphore. For if your too rapped up in the pressent or what will happen, then you will miss everything around you. I would like to know if anyone else made simular conections.
6:39 seeing house of leaves just made me tear up
17:27 i feel like I watched a movie
Doing and doing and doing, without a reason, without a consciousness, without a change, without an end
Is there even a day we will see the end of the tunnel, or we just remain
Watching life walk right past us, feeling the wind hit our face, letting rain pour all over us
Like the grain of sand we are, placed by destiny, where we will forever stay
Like a flower, that never bloomed.
i like the importance of flowers in this. particularly the lilacs. im not biased i swear
isn't UA-cam wonderful?
its great... smh
this is such a powerful artform, it tells such a bold thing about humans
started tearing up at the end of the footage, 10/10.
This is the kind of arg that’s start creepy end beautiful
Something I would like to note is the difference in Minecraft versions after Andrew breaks out of his experiment
A very bittersweet ending. This lowkey felt like a movie.
I KNEW IT I KNEW THERE WAS A CONNECTION TO HOUSE OF LEAVES
This entire series screams one critical issue to me.
Earlier in the video, it is mentioned that this "disease" is commonly affecting teenagers in particular. Making them feel mental distress and fatigue etc.
Sound familiar?
To me, this sounds like a metaphor for depression and suicidal tendencies/thoughts. The online world feels like an escape and many teenagers would say they feel stuck or "sucked into" the internet, an addiction. People change, they get stuck in loops online every single day, they become "lifeless." I have had friends become these people. When you are depressed, you are vulnerable, and when you are vulnerable you are subject to these changes.
This is such an interesting concept, I may make my own video discussing this soon in further detail. :)
100% agree. i refer to my internet addiction as being stuck and sucked into for sure, constantly refreshing the same few sites over and over again hoping for something new, but the word i use to describe it more is it feels like im rotting. like i'm decaying
related to the word decay, there's something in my eyes about how the series is partially about the inevitable end of everything. its not good or bad, just neutral, and a natural part of life like how decay is inevitable in all things
@@mentallyunstable1926In the end, the main character "left" his friends behind to free himself (and everyone else) from the torment of being trapped in a repeating loop. However, it's not explicitly shown that he or his friends died. I think the ending is much more nuanced than just saying, "the main character and everyone else die, the end." They use the word "sacrifice," which confused me towards the conclusion. When you sacrifice yourself, it typically means you're the only one affected while everyone else is saved. If Andrew made a sacrifice, why did everyone have to go? To me, that feels less like a sacrifice and more like something else entirely. I'm not sure if I'm expressing this clearly, but it seems like the ending suggests they didn’t die; rather, it serves as a metaphor for something deeper. What’s your opinion on this?
@@SyreDoesThings the way i interpret it is kind of like the sacrifice of the known in hopes for a better future. they're literally stuck in a time loop where you always know what's going to happen next, and it's torture but there's some comfort in the consistency and having nothing change. they sacrifice their comfort of the time loop in hopes that whatever's on the other side is better. it's terrifying, it can feel like death in a way because you have no idea what comes next, but it's freeing
@@mentallyunstable1926 That makes a lot of sense! They don't literally die, but stepping out of one's comfort zone can feel just as frightening, especially when feeling trapped and helpless, as well as not yet understanding the meaning of life.
I can’t believe I’m holding back the urge to cry because of a Minecraft story…
This is beautiful in every way
This is what the Minecraft movie could of been
Start of Minecraft ARG: Woah! My chest is inexplicably 2 blocks to the right...
End of Minecraft ARG: What are the moral implications of forcing existence on an unwilling entity? Break out your philosophy books ganers
amazing arg ngl its all done so well n the ending is really nice
I’ve been trying to read a lot of russian literature, so i can read that book and circle back when i finish. It will be a while though, as the current book I’m reading is a slog
Also, in regards to the real house, and it bringing him to sentience, believe that it was shown in different ways at the end of the first few episodes to show the decline of the mood, and his current mental state. Going from all is normal, to something is wrong, to things aren’t as they seem, to I think I remember but it isn’t good. And as to it triggering sentience, it is a common theme in media that when someone is no longer as they were (as in, they transformed in some way or another), a familiar thing from their life before their transformation will cause them to remember everything
youtube can't be doing this. most people who click on this video will just not watch it because they've already watched it which just basically kills this video in terms of reach.
since this is a very good video anyway I'm going to watch it in full again and I encourage everyone to do the same.
There's so many QoL features UA-cam could implement into their site, taken down videos should give the creator 24hs to reupload and still count as the same video, as to not kill traction. Not happening though, it's just all about their bottom line at the end of the day
I love the video, sucks that it got taken down
2:35 it's just one of those days when you don't wanna wake up everything is fucked, everybody SUCKS
Update on the decayed : The final video on the decayed channel will the final video ever to the story as the creator put out a post today saying they will be leaving the ending ambiguous.
I don’t think the “sacrifice” was Andrew straight-up killing himself, I think it’s just that, since he was still a vessel, breaking the tree/concept at all killed him, as well as the other vessels.
I wonder where Serenemist and Xiphoid is right now...
Why'd the end make me cry a little....
Yh too
Did bro just say yowaimo? 11:25
14:27 You should note that a concept of a tree containing reality or the universe itself is not a foreign one. Consider Yggdrasil from Nordic mythology.
This is peak cinema rigth here
here for part two, bet its gonna be just as fire
This truly was our Decayed...
this almost made my cry from the happy ending.
If i had a nickle for every time dark video game fan media contemplating the meaning of life referenced House of Leaves i'd have 2 nickles. Which isnt a lot but its weird it happened twice.
They put my brain in a jar and forced to play Minecraft, beyond evil
Felt like a whole movie thing.
Only a matter of time
I want to also noticed but I also own house of leaves and realized that the owner also has name that starts w M last name with D, was unsure if they were putting a reference on that too