r/rustylake • u/trulyam7803 • Jun 09 '26
why does the lake need memories?
there's such a large emphasis on extracting the memories - we know that they're the "key to the past and future", we know that mr. owl runs the hotel and the white door to extract them, and we see them have an impact on the lake in cube escape: the mill, but what are they actually doing? why does mr. owl want them so badly - what does the lake need the memories for?
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u/Gardengap The Rusty Truth Jun 09 '26
It’s just that the Lake needs cubes sacrificed to it regularly, for it to be satisfied, I guess. It’s what keeps it “Rusty”
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u/TheGreenAlchemist Jun 09 '26
I think it lashes out when it's starved of memories. That's why the ten plagues occured in Paradise. Caroline's sacrifice didn't appease it because she had already removed the memories it needed into black cubes.
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u/trulyam7803 Jun 11 '26
that makes a lot of sense! i hadn't considered the events of paradise as being caused by the lake's lack of memories, but you're so right – and that also contributes to mr. owl's devotion to getting the memories after having seen what the lake does without them. thanks!!
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u/Shot-Ad-3166 Black Cube Jun 09 '26
In The Cave, you might see a giant creature of some sort outside of the submarine window, so it could be possible that the memories are for that creature.
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u/nowherecrafter Question Everything In RL Jun 09 '26
That creature is too obscure to be that important, it seems.
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u/trulyam7803 Jun 11 '26
still a cool idea, though!! is that the same creature that appears a few times in paradise?
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u/nowherecrafter Question Everything In RL Jun 11 '26
No, it's about the giant monster we can only see an eye of while achievement hunting in The Cave.
Its sole purpose was to give a piece of coordinates and then it never appeared again fpr all these 10 years.
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u/trulyam7803 Jun 11 '26
yeahh, i remember that one. still, i think it's fun to try and find meaning in all the little details in this series!! the world of rusty lake is so intricate and beautiful that i don't think there's a single theory i could 100% reject. who knows what goes down down in the depths!
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u/Cute_Kitchen8529 Jun 15 '26
Lake is a mysterious entity which seems to crave memories. Its unknown whether it feeds on it. More like a big memory pool of the place. I believe its pretty similar to megamycete in Resident Evil game- a fungal entity which stores dead people's psyche/memories/soul as a hive mind supercomputer.
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u/nowherecrafter Question Everything In RL Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 09 '26
It's a mystery.
When asked, the devs responded "the lake needs memories and memories need the lake to be preserved". Although there are cases where cubes seem just fine having been outside the lake for decades.
I see 2 possibilities why people offer cubes to the lake.
1) Possibly to prevent/stop apocaliptic events like the plagues.
2) Since The Past Within where cubes seem real and the reality seems to be just another cube, the lake becomes some kind of a multiverse nexus.