#first to crash: olimar

[crashed-on-pnf-404]

PNF 404 LOG 344: Welcome to our home

Welcome to our blog, a connection to you from pnf 404 documenting what is happening with us on this planet. We've grown accustomed to this place and there is a safe space connection between us, koppai, and hocotate. We even managed to make the atmosphere habitable without space suits.

(This is a pikmin rp blog, Character information underneath cut)

Olimar

A hocotatian that wears a tan space suit with a red antenna and gloves. He's a bit below average in height and he makes up for it with a kind but proper attitude. He's best friends with Louie and the two have an older and younger brother relationship.

Louie

One of Olimars first coworkers and now best friends. His space suit is similar to olimars but the red is replaced with blue and he's a bit taller than Olimar. Louie is clumsy and he loves food (which inspired him to start a restaurant) and he's caused many accidents, not including his and Olimars crash. He runs a kitchen with Charlie and has made many meals with PNF-404's fauna, although some are a more acquired taste than others.

Alf

A young koppaite who cherishes his captain, Charlie, and he loves exploring with his "family" of misfits. Brittany is like a mother figure and Charlie a father, and the three live near Olimar and Louie.

Brittany

She is a koppaite who is very well mannered and loves her job as a botanist and novice biologist, she can often be found sitting in her flower garden and reading a book or revising her notes on the flora and fauna of PNF 404.

Charlie

Charlie is a friendly giant of a koppaite, he makes friends with everyone he meets and sometimes forgets he's a captain while they are out on expedition. He helped Olimar and Shepherd build the defensive wall around their base and he often helps Louie run the kitchen in his free time.

Shepherd

A darker skinned commander from Giya, she is very proper and the owner of oatchi but she loosens up when at the base to hang out with her friends.

Oatchi

Oatchi is a golden furred dog that Shepherd owns and takes care of. He loves to be around others and gets put in charge of keeping Louie intact on missions which the two love. He can only move around with his 2 feet but is faster than everyone in the group.

Yonny

Yonny is a doctor from Ohri with dark skin and green hair. He's worked with Shepherd for many years and it a beloved member of the Rescue Corps. He's able to diagnose and treat almost any injury no matter how severe.

[crashed-on-pnf-404]

*after Olimar saw the trail he want back to his room to wake Louie up but his was fast asleep so Olimar cautiously checked on what was at the end of the trail after grabbing a knife from his bedside table drawer*

Hello, who's there?

Open Roleplay

Your muse hears a door in their home open, despite it being locked. Seems like someone broke in and entered. When they go to look, what appears to be demon blood leaves a trail on the floor...

[obsidian-warthog]

Apparently you get a certain voyage log on day ten in Pikmin 4 that's come up in the timeline discourse.

[contract-crawdad]

Are people seriously confused as to whether or not Pikmin 4 is a retcon of the series/split timeline?

Like, actually??

I didn’t even know people HAD that impression until reading a few takes, it seems really clear that Pikmin 1, 2, and 3 still totally happened, people are going nuts over nothing.

[phantomrose96]

What the hell happens in the pikmin game?? Those little colourful bitches have been around for ages, but i never bothered looking them up, i just figured they were cute little mascots of some game. But your posts are making me question everything. Is it a horror game? (I know i could just google it, but asking you is funnier)

Yeah you're right asking me is much funnier :)

Pikmin is a fun and relaxing game! You play as a little astronaut man who gets to spend his days growing Pikmin, who are sweet and peaceful little plant creatures with leaves, buds, or flowers on their heads. You can corral them around with a little trumpet, like a bouquet of flowers following you through the pretty and whimsical landscapes of planet PNF-404 :)

Wait did I say fun and relaxing?

Sorry, typo.

It's a brutal skill-based survival game (❁´◡`❁)

So then maybe you're wondering, what's up with the Pikmin? What was that about growing a bunch of little flower guys? Well growing the Pikmin is super important!

It's super duper important mainly because you need to replace the Pikmin who die in the carnage of battle for you!

Battle against what?

Everything.

See on PNF-404, Pikmin are the bottom of the food chain. Just about every living breathing creature on this planet is orders of magnitude larger than the Pikmin and munch Pikmin by the hundreds for breakfast. Predators will do this instinctively. They will do this unprompted. They will do this while you're not looking. They will do this endlessly until every last Pikmin is dead.

So... what good are the Pikmin? What chance do they stand?

Really easy. Pikmin are the most violent creatures in the entire game 🥰🥰🥰.

How else do you survive when you're small and fragile other than incredible violence? Pikmin can exist out and about in swarms of up to 100. And the only way to survive predators as small little leaf creatures is to beat those predators to death with incredible mob violence before they can kill all of you.

Pikmin don't die like plants. They die like warriors.

And sometimes, this is the hardest mechanic to handle. Left to their own devices Pikmin will seek to shed blood. It's up to you to call them away from orchestrating their own demise, their own pursuit of the glory of Valhalla. It's in their nature. It's in their plant-blood.

And they go down hard. They shriek when snapped up in the jaws of predators. They glub and wail when drowning in water. They trill out screams when on fire. They choke and cough in poison. They die instantly to electricity. And you'll know a Pikmin is well and truly dead once it lets out a final whimper, and a ghost drifts away from where it once stood. This can happen by the dozens. This can happen to all 100 at once.

So wait, wait I've gotten far ahead of myself. Why the violence? Why the death? Why the fighting? What was that about a little astronaut man?

Well your astronaut man is Olimar, an honest and simple family man who's a freight ship captain from his home planet of Hocotate. He's a truck driver! He's just a guy taking his first vacation in years.

And a meteorite strikes his ship, tearing it to pieces as it crash-lands on a completely uncharted planet. Welcome to PNF-404...

And so you're Olimar. A truck driver. A nice dad. A victim of capitalism with the world's worst boss. Out on vacation.

Your ship is destroyed. No one is coming for you. No one will save you.

The oxygen on PNF-404 is poisonous.

You have 30 days before your life support system runs out.

You have 30 days until you die a brutal and lonely death.

Your only hope is to find every scattered missing piece of your ship--30 of them--strewn across the planet, return them to your ship, and repair it, before your 30 days are up.

But this is simply impossible. You're one tiny little man. You wouldn't be able to lift a single piece of your ship, let alone 30 of them, let alone doing so while fending off the wildlife hellbent on killing you.

But the Pikmin seem to like you...

So all that death? All the carnage and destruction? It's all in the effort to repair Olimar's ship before he suffocates. You pave a path of destruction decorated with the bodies of any creature that stands before you and your missing ship pieces.

The Pikmin do it. The Pikmin trust you. The Pikmin follow your command and die by your command. After all, you're growing their species. Oh did I forget to explain that part? The "how" of how growing Pikmin works?

Simple. Pikmin are grown from the corpses of the creatures they kill :).

If you kill something, the Pikmin take it back to their base and process it for pieces, and grow new Pikmin from it. That's how you get all the nice little flower creatures following you around. :)

Is it good enough? Can you sleep at night knowing that 50 creatures who trusted you implicitly were slaughtered under your misdirection? All to retrieve a hunk of metal which is 1/30 of the hope of getting you home alive? 100 slaughtered? 200? Day 30 is approaching. Things are looking bleak.

You're Olimar. Day 30 has arrived, and you haven't fully reconstructed your ship. You have no option to stay. Your life support has run out. You watch the Pikmin you've left behind, as you attempt to start up your ship which has not been safely repaired.

You try to take off, and try to make it home.

It does not go well.

But at least the Pikmin have another corpse to carry.

[foxfirestarlight]

This is the best theory for Pikmin 4 sounding like it's olimars first crash.

[hugsohugs]

man olimar’s shipwreck tale is fucking me up rn

he works so hard for his freedom. he has TWO WEEKS to collect THIRTY parts. the whole point of the mode is to do this as fast as you possibly can. if you want to get a good time you have to constantly be moving. for two weeks.

and then!!! it doesn’t even work. no matter how well you do, olimar’s fate is the same: he crashes, and he dies. you know this before you even start. it’s literally called olimar’s SHIPWRECK tale!!!!!

yes he gets rescued later, but first he has to do all that work for NOTHING. was it even worth it? if it ends up the same way no matter what?

and we all know that one log that just reads “i am so very tired”. he’s fucking exhausted by the end. and for what!!!!!!!

(by the way, according to pikminwiki that log unlocks when you defeat him in the last dandori battle. just thought that was interesting)

man, just. olimar. OLIMAR. AUGH

[inks-lil-quiet-corner]

Meet Souda!

She's my Pikmin 4 Rescue Corps OC! :D

I'll put their lore and stuff about them under the cut -w-

(small warning it's pretty self-indulgent (and also really long) lol)

==================================

Backstory-

Name- Souda

Pronouns- She/They

Age (in Pikmin 4)- 23

Occupation- Rescue Corps Rookie

Before joining the Rescue Corps, Souda was born to a pair of space pirate crew members, and was raised by the crew. They never enjoyed their time with them, as the living conditions and the way they treated them were significantly less than ideal.

When they turned 17, Souda took one of the crew's spare single-person ships and flew away out of rebellion, but then crash landed onto a strange and unfamiliar planet. The ship surprisingly didn't sustain any major damages, but they still stayed on the planet for a short while to cool off and relax.

On the planet, she met many strange creatures, including both friends and foes. The friends included these strange carrot-shaped creatures that she simply labeled as "my friends." The first one she met, a blue one, she gave the personal name "Aqua" to and put a green bow tie on them to be able to tell them apart from the rest. The foes, on the other hand...she just kept her distance, too afraid to go near them.

Around a week later, out of fear of the space pirate crew tracking their ship's location (since they didn't know how to turn the feature off) and pillaging the planet for all it's worth, she left with the ship and returned back to the crew.

When they became 18, they considered genuinely leaving the space pirates for good. They were too afraid to simply quit the crew since those who did normally just became the crew's servants and were denied freedom, so they instead fled and sought out shelter in a populated planet.

Once free from the space pirates, they lived a peaceful life in the planet they now resided in, and later on decided to apply to join the Rescue Corps out of a strong desire to help others and to be a part of something good. When they got accepted and passed their training, they labeled it as one of the happiest days of their life.

She strongly wanted to fit in, so she tried to raise up her confidence and even dyed her hair green to match her unit's uniform. She studied things that she wasn't originally tested on during training, and tried befriending as many members of the Rescue Corps as possible.

When she was sent out to PNF-404 for the rescue mission and saw the pikmin and other creatures living on the planet, she simply thought that the planet she went to when she was 17 and this one just had the same species living in it, but she never believed that they could've been one and the same. That was, until she was reunited with Aqua.

Extra Notes-

She used to be a very gloomy character, but after going to the strange planet at 17, she suddenly became more cheerful and excitable. She herself isn't exactly sure what caused her sudden shift in personality, especially since some of her memories of being on the planet were either a blur or oddly missing

Her shift in personality was the catalyst for her escape attempt when she turned 18, since it helped her become more self-aware of the things going on around her and think of the possibilities for a better life

They never talk about their past, and only express their strong distaste towards space pirates while keeping the reasons for disliking them to themself. They want to one day help others that want to be free from a similar life that they experienced

They love learning new things about nature and civilization. They first only learned these things because of their old occupation, but after escaping they learned that they truly did love the topic. They also have a vast knowledge on a large amount of languages, and still study them whenever they can

After reading Olimar's research notes on PNF-404, they became a huge fan of his. They're determined to try their best to save him (and maybe also get his autograph? perhaps?)

If any pikmin perish, they hold a personal funeral for each and every one of them

......And that's all I have for them so far! If anyone's actually read this far in, thank you for reading!! Feel free to lemme know your thoughts! :D

[seandwalsh]

The Origins of Pikmin (Part 1)

The following is Part 1 (because Tumblr's text limit sucks) of an adaptation of my first published Pikmin Theory in written form. While I’ve previously presented this as a YouTube video, it was actually originally written for this blog. As Pikmin 4 has released and only provided even stronger support for the theory, I’ve decided to publish it here once again, as originally intended, with more evidence from both Pikmin 4 and its predecessors - an extensive expansion to say the least, so even if you've seen the video this should still act as an interesting piece of supplementary material.

I hope you all enjoy!

In Pikmin 1, Olimar crashes on what we know as Earth, seemingly after the extinction of humans and familiar wildlife:

“This is an ever-surprising ecosystem. What has caused this planet's vegetation to grow to such gigantic proportions? In comparison to the Pikmin and the other creatures of this planet, the scale of the plant life here seems inexplicable. Perhaps, long ago, creatures of incomprehensible size walked the surface of this planet. Just imagine!”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 1, December 2001]

“This must be the fossilized remains of an enormous land-dwelling creature. I was unable to piece together the entire beast, but it certainly had a massive head! It's obviously quite different from the Pikmin and other creatures I've encountered. Perhaps it's an extinct creature that couldn't adapt to changes in its environment.”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 2, August 2004]

“This appears to be a huge bird feather, but I've never seen the creature it once belonged to. I wonder if I ever will. I've only seen a few airborne creatures on this planet. I wonder why? Maybe it's just because I haven't encountered them yet. Oh no... What if they saw me take this feather? They could be watching me, waiting for the perfect moment to take their sweet revenge!”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 2, August 2004]

When Olimar arrives on the planet, later dubbed by Koppaites as “PNF-404”, he discovers the Pikmin, species of plants with animal-like features. The Pikmin are seemingly quite close to extinction upon discovery, with their nests, the Onions, buried in the ground and incredibly low in population. In fact, it appears the only reason they aren’t extinct is because the Onions are able to produce emergency seedlings after a Pikmin extinction. The Pikmin don’t seem to know how to hunt for the nutrients necessary to survive and reproduce without Captain Olimar’s help.

“Even some wild Pikmin have become extinct, it seems, and there are some very rare varieties that can only be created by tossing Pikmin into a flower called a Candypop Bud.”

[Source: Chet, Mihaman Scientist and Research Task Force leader, Pikmin Garden, Nintendo Co., Ltd. website]

At the end of Pikmin 1, we see that Olimar has taught the Pikmin how to fight for themselves, when they attack a Bulborb on their own and seemingly remain on the planet’s surface overnight as Olimar heads for home. This carries over into Pikmin 2, where the Red Pikmin are seen fending for themselves when Olimar and Louie return to PNF-404, as well as Pikmin 3, where the Red Pikmin, Yellow Pikmin and Rock Pikmin at the very least have somewhat large populations despite some of their Onions being in peril.

The essence of my point is that the Pikmin don’t seem equipped to survive on this planet, which begs the question of how it is they survived through the planet’s evolutionary history until the point of Captain Olimar’s arrival…

The Pikmin certainly have some peculiarities. They’re Ambuloradices, described as having both plant and animal features by explorers in various games:

“Pikmin are part of the Ambuloradicis class, which consists of creatures that exhibit both plant and animal characteristics.”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 4, July 2023]

“[#] days have passed since I began my search with the Pikmin. They are an ever-mysterious life-form. They grow like plants do, but they're also mobile and active like animals are. Individually, they seem weak, but in truth, I am beginning to believe that they could be an exceptionally mighty species if properly organized. I certainly hope so.”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 1, December 2001]

“What exactly are these Pikmin? One could classify them as both plant and animal. They mature from leaf, to bud, and finally to blossom. When all of one color are lost, the Onion instinctively puts out new seeds... How does it know to do this? What a mysterious life-form!”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 1, December 2001]

“The Pikmin sprout from seeds and transform from plants into animals when uprooted. They treat outsiders like us as their leaders, obediently following us and even risking their lives for us when necessary. Yet it's this obedience that has aided in their propagation and survival. Perhaps it is actually the Pikmin who are controlling us.”

[Source: Alph, Koppaite Scientist and Engineer of the S.S. Drake, Playable Character in Pikmin 3, July 2013]

“The leaf on a Pikmin's head can develop into a bud, and then into a flower. It seems that if a Pikmin sprout is left in the ground, these developments take place over time. In this way they appear very plant-like, and yet once they have been plucked they show their animal aspect. A completely fascinating creature...”

[Source: Brittany, Koppaite Botanist and Crew Member of the S.S. Drake, Playable Character in Pikmin 3, July 2013]

This is despite the fact they're believed to have evolved from terrestrial root vegetables:

“It is generally believed that the Pikmin body was originally the root of a plant that has evolved over centuries, if not millennia, developing structures analogous to muscles, neural networks similar to those of a brain, and more.”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 4, July 2023]

“The accepted theory is that Pikmin evolved from terrestrial root vegetables, and so would be unable to breathe underwater and subsequently drown.”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 4, July 2023]

The bodies of Rock Pikmin are special stones stored within Rock Candypop Buds and Rock Onions which the root system and vital organs of the Rock Pikmin spread throughout. Why and how would the Onions and Candypop Buds develop this stone stockpiling functionality?

“This species is definitely a member of the Pikmin genus, but its body does not share any of the plant-like traits that Pikmin are known for. Instead, it's composed primarily of stone. The stone is actually the chosen host for a parasitic subset of Pikmin species nicknamed "Hermikmin." Similar to how a seed can sprout and push through the cracks of a rock, the Pikmin's roots stretch deep into the stone, storing its vital organs in an interior cavity that resembles a crystal geode.Because this species displays characteristics common in parasitism, one could hypothesize that the Rock Onion and Rock Candypop Bud stockpile stone that will eventually host the Rock Pikmin.”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 4, July 2023]

Winged Pikmin feature distinctly insectile wings on their bodies, a massive evolutionary improbability. It's hypothesised by leaders that perhaps the Winged Onions absorbed DNA resulting in the modern Winged Pikmin's body plan, but why would Onions have that capability?

“The wings on the back of this flying Pikmin species closely resemble the wings you would find on a flying creature. It's possible that an ancient Winged Onion somehow absorbed a flying creature's DNA, which then resulted in the precursor to the Winged Pikmin transforming into the species we recognize today. If this theory is correct, then Onions might also be serving the role of messenger, transmitting new traits and characteristics to their Pikmin.”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 4, July 2023]

Olimar even mentions that it’s almost like the Pikmin were waiting for the brain of an alien leader of some sort to lead them, like they knew following Olimar would help them survive.

“I wonder if these Pikmin were waiting for me to arrive. No... Not necessarily me, but an alien being like me who could fight alongside them. On this planet they are a weak species, but maybe they see that they can use the power of an alien brain to climb to the top of the natural order. Such ideas make me wonder if it isn't I who is being used by them...”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 1, December 2001]

“The Pikmin's Purpose I wonder if these Pikmin were waiting for me to arrive. On this planet, they are a weak species, but if they're trying to use the power of an alien brain to climb to the top of the natural order... I have to wonder if it isn't me who is being used by them.”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 4, July 2023]

They seem to have a natural inclination towards or instinct for following and taking orders from intelligent humanoids, as is further noted by the Hocotate Freight ship in Pikmin 2, Alph in Pikmin 3 and Olimar in Pikmin 4:

“At last, you have encountered them! They seem to have gill-like ducts on their cheeks. They must be blue Pikmin! Like the other types, they look to you for direction. While they are indeed surviving naturally they still seem to long for a valiant leader.”

[Source: The Hocotate Freight ship (First model S.S. Dolphin), Deteriorating Hocotate Freight adventure vessel, Non-Player Character in Pikmin 2, August 2004]

“It seems that Pikmin are driven by instinct to carry away anything they see lying around. Prey that will increase their numbers are carried to the Onion, whereas things they cannot use are carried to the spaceship or to their original location. Thus, their carrying instinct lets them form symbiotic relationships with species like us. This could be the key to their success.”

[Source: Alph, Koppaite Scientist and Engineer of the S.S. Drake, Playable Character in Pikmin 3, July 2013]

“A Pikmin will instinctively follow whoever plucks them from the ground, so it is quite common for them to form symbiotic relationships with another species or accept a leader of a different species, as it serves the goal of propagating their own species as a whole.”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 4, July 2023]

“Pikmin have a disposition to carry things that will increase their ranks to the Onions, and to carry everything else to their leaders' spaceship. They may instinctively sense what we need and seek to strengthen our symbiotic relationship...”

[Source: Chet, Mihaman Scientist and Research Task Force leader, Pikmin Garden, Nintendo Co., Ltd. website]

Pikmin form a natural symbiosis with the leaders from the moment they're plucked. With their leaders commanding them, Pikmin quickly become one of the most powerful species on the planet.

“TOPIC 2 - A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH LEADERS What is a symbiotic relationship? Symbiotic means a mutual relationship that different organisms have with each other while active in the same space. But both sides don't always benefit from it; sometimes it only seems to be a one-way street. What about Pikmin though? LEADERS AND PIKMIN EACH BENEFIT When a Pikmin sprout is plucked, it will appear to recognize its leader as such and follow them. From this moment on, a symbiotic relationship of sorts between leader and Pikmin is formed. (The leaders' benefit) With lots of Pikmin in tow, they will be able to transport heavy objects and defeat creatures that stand in their way. (The Pikmin's benefit) With a capable leader on board, the Pikmin can rapidly increase their ranks and become the most powerful creatures on the planet.”

[Source: Chet, Mihaman Scientist and Research Task Force leader, Pikmin Garden, Nintendo Co., Ltd. website]

Even Pikmin that have become separated from the squad, fail to form a symbiotic relationship and become wild will instantly fall in line and take orders in the presence of a leader to command them. It's almost like it's part of their very DNA...

TOPIC 3 - WILD PIKMIN Spotted by the Crew! Pikmin in the Wild The Pikmin that fail to establish a successful symbiotic relationship and decrease in number, as well as those who become separated from their group, may sometimes revert to a wild state and move their activity underground.

[Source: Chet, Mihaman Scientist and Research Task Force leader, Pikmin Garden, Nintendo Co., Ltd. website]

“Wild Pikmin Wild Pikmin found underground can be brought to the surface and added to an Onion. However, when tasked with transporting a pellet, the resulting seed ends up the same color as the Onion. I must be careful, as these Pikmin cannot be propagated right now.”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 4, July 2023]

That’s not to mention some other oddities, such as the natural cap of a certain number of Pikmin being active within a given radius of a set of Onions in the field, which is apparently believed to help prevent a Pikmin extinction, or the fact that in order to reproduce Pikmin require being plucked from a sprout after being planted.

“I have made yet another Pikmin-related discovery. Just when I was about to exceed 100 Pikmin in the field. the Onion stopped expelling seeds, yet the total number of Pikmin continued to climb. It seems that once there are 100 Pikmin in the field. subsequent seeds get stored inside the Onion. Thus, no more than 100 Pikmin can be in the field at one time in any area.”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 1, December 2001]

“The Onion stopped spitting out seeds! But the Pikmin inside the Onion still seem to be increasing in numbers. Apparently, once the number of Pikmin in the field reaches 100, any new Pikmin will stay inside the Onion. This means that a maximum of 100 Pikmin can be active outside the Onion at any one time.”

[Source: Alph, Koppaite Scientist and Engineer of the S.S. Drake, Playable Character in Pikmin 3, July 2013]

“Maybe Pikmin have evolved to self-limit how many can be out on the surface at a time to prevent unnecessary loss.”

[Source: Captain Shepherd, Giyan Leader of the Rescue Corps, Rescue Pup trainer and Captain of the S.S. Shepherd, Non-Player Character in Pikmin 4, July 2023]

“Preservation Instincts The Onion stopped releasing seeds! I went to check on it and saw that the Pikmin will only propagate inside the Onion once a certain number are out on the surface. Could limiting the number of active Pikmin be a strategy to avoid extinction?”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 1, December 2001]

“When the number of Pikmin on the surface exceeds a certain number, they start to multiply inside the Onion. Apparently, they are trying to control the number of Pikmin active at one time to prevent their total extinction.”

[Source: Chet, Mihaman Scientist and Research Task Force leader, Pikmin Garden, Nintendo Co., Ltd. website]

Who “naturally” does this plucking when beings like the Hocotatians and Koppaites aren’t around? How can the Pikmin exist in the way they do?

There’s also an odd, seemingly “intentional” way for Pikmin to reproduce - using the easily accessible crystallised nectar of Pellet Posies, which develop quickly and pull all of the necessary nutrients from the ground. They even produce pellets with colours matching each Pikmin type in a region, tend to grow near Onion landing sites and have literal human numbers on them, indicating exactly how many Pikmin are required to carry them. It’s clear there’s a deeper connection here.

“In the stem of the pellet posy, one can observe the muscle fiber unique to half-plant, half-animal species such as the Pikmin and candypop flowers, so the pellet posy is a species that can be considered a close relative. Although the ability to crystallize nectar is unique to a small group of the pellet weed family, the fact that these plants reach maturity so quickly and that their pellets contain such high concentrations of the natural nutrients in the soil explains why the Pikmin and so many of the other indigenous species are so reliant on these pellets for sustenance.”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 2, August 2004]

“The pellet cradled in its petals changes colors like some form of chameleon, aligning to match the color of nearby Pikmin. It's almost as though it's inviting us to come harvest it to make more. Even though it appears to be helping out, it's really just using us to spread its seeds!”

[Source: Dalmo, Sozorian Animal Enthusiast and researcher, Non-Player Character in Pikmin 4, July 2023]

Which brings me to the Onions themselves. When Olimar first discovers a Red Onion in Pikmin 1, he notes that it awoke as if it was waiting for his arrival. He questions what it is, whether or not it’s alive and then whether or not it’s a machine.

“A strange thing has appeared before me. I had barely begun my search when it reared up as if it were waiting for me. It then dropped a single seed. What is it? Is it alive? Is it a machine? It resembles a vegetable on my home planet that we call an onion. I shall call this an Onion too.”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 1, December 2001]

Onions are clearly unnatural in some sense. They seemingly have mechanical parts, such as their flower-like propellers and jets. Some types even have what appear to be solar panels. Some types have a unique pattern, which also appears on the wrists of Mamutas, who themselves have a clear connection to planting and growing Pikmin. Onions take flight, entering orbit during the night, and are described as “a Pikmin mother ship” by the Hocotate Freight ship in Pikmin 2.

“The Onion ejected more seeds! The pellet from that flower must hold nutrients that breed Pikmin. Yes! The Pikmin gather nutrients, haul them to the Onion, and further propagate the species! The Onion is a Pikmin mother ship! Reviewing Olimar's report, it seems holding {A} lets one rapidly pluck Pikmin sprouts.”

[Source: The Hocotate Freight ship (First model S.S. Dolphin), Deteriorating Hocotate Freight adventure vessel, Non-Player Character in Pikmin 2, August 2004]

“Sometimes it lies dormant, much like a bulb, but dig it up from the ground and provide it with the right stimulus—for example, a good, hard shake—and it will activate, sprouting three rootlike legs. It serves a role similar to a nest or an incubator for the Pikmin, absorbing pellets or the bodies of dead creatures for their nutritional value, then propagating Pikmin the same color as itself. Onions also seem to greedily attempt to replicate certain characteristics of the matter they absorb by combining with, or absorbing, other Onions, sometimes of the same type. It's been confirmed that just like Pikmin, an Onion has muscle fibers in its body, and though it is unable to walk it is capable of a small range of motion. However, when one breaks down the biological matter it has absorbed a fuel similar to bioethanol is created. Onions spray this fuel out of the mouths on their underbellies and are able to fly using their flowerlike propellers for stabilization.”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 4, July 2023]

The Onions were later classified by scientists as an entirely different species from Pikmin. This means that much like the Pikmin-leader symbiosis, the very basis of Pikmin reproduction is symbiosis with the Onion species.

“"The majesty of nature," "the mystery of life"… I feel that these stale clichés can't fully express the extraordinary symbiotic relationship between Pikmin and Onions. Is there a connection here of an affectionate nature, perhaps? There's so much we still don't know!”

[Source: Dalmo, Sozorian Animal Enthusiast and researcher, Non-Player Character in Pikmin 4, July 2023]

“Pikmin not only increase in numbers by living symbiotically with their leaders, but seemingly even the means by which they are born are obtained through symbiosis. By providing nutrition to the Onion, an object which can be considered their nest or incubator, they sprout seeds and multiply. But in fact, while Onions are similar in species to Pikmin, they are said to be completely different beings... Next time, we'll report about these so-called Onions.”

[Source: Chet, Mihaman Scientist and Research Task Force leader, Pikmin Garden, Nintendo Co., Ltd. website]

On the subject of Onions, Pellet Posies and Pikmin reproduction, the recently observed Lumiknoll exist in a very interesting related position. Lumiknolls and their juvenile form Tricknolls sprout at night and produce Glow Pikmin. Glow Pikmin, while resembling Pikmin in appearance and behaviour, are not technically classified as Pikmin. Lumiknolls appear at Onion landing sites, smell like Onions and are even speculated to be Onion rhizomes of some sort. It seems that Lumiknolls and Glow Pikmin, with their leaf-dissolving enzymes, exist for the purpose of breaking down deceased Pikmin (and other nectar-based wildlife) and returning their nectar to the soil for Pellet Posies to absorb and crystalise, perpetuating the life cycle of the Pikmin.

“Besides the fact that they serve as incubators and nests for Glow Pikmin, we know very little about the Lumiknoll's ecology. When nocturnal creatures die, a Lumiknoll can break them down into glow pellets through its strong dissolving enzymes. This matter, when condensed, becomes glow sap. One might assume glow sap is then an extremely dangerous substance, but it has hardly any negative effects. In fact, I've had it administered to me personally as a curative medicine to break down growing leaves. Lumiknolls will only appear in places where an Onion was located earlier in the day, and since they propagate Glow Pikmin, one could surmise that they are rhizomes from those Onions. Perhaps, using its dissolving powers, it returns the nectar that supports the ecosystem back to the soil.”

[Source: Captain Olimar, Employee of Hocotate Freight and Captain of the S.S. Dolphin, Playable Character in Pikmin 4, July 2023]

“Smells a lot like an Onion. The green juice is particularly delicious!”

[Source: Louie, Employee of Hocotate Freight, Playable Character in Pikmin 4, July 2023]

[PART 2]

[hana-bobo-finch]

I am very normal about the rescue corps so anyway I transcribed all of (as far as I’m aware) their casual dialogue on base. Too long to do it all in one post so I will split it up starting with Collin:

I recently asked Nelle about her experiences with that giant dog creature. Apparently, when she was first captured, it was quite playful. She said she didn’t feel like she was in any danger at all. That made me wonder if it was acting more aggressive and violent because it was being controlled by Louie.

There must be something about this planet that pulls ships in or causes machinery to malfunction. But wait. Come to think of it…why didn’t your ship crash, (player name)?

If you press (Y) while on the Area Select screen, you can see your current progress for every surface area and every cave. Be sure to keep an eye on your Status Reports while out in the field!

The captain has a special certification in Rescue Pup training. She’s also one of the few members of the Rescue Corps with the highest certificate ranking. I mean, she’s kind of…incredible.

Believe it or not, you can always count on Dingo. If you’re ever in a tough spot, he’ll show up to save you…probably.

Yonny may be a laid-back kind of guy, but he’s incredibly accomplished in the medical field.

He may not act the part, but Bernard is actually a veteran pilot. I heard that at the intergalactic travel company where he used to work, he piloted a 20,000-hour-long flight. That’s…long.

I was surprised to learn that Olimar is quite reticent in person, weren’t you? Though I must admit, he does have a certain air of gravitas about him.

I heard that Dobbs became a treasure hunter so he could help solve the poverty crisis back on his home planet. What a generous and noble pursuit! I never expected someone so intimidating to be so kind.

From what I can tell, Yorke really looks up to Dobbs. Somehow he always finds a way to bring him up in conversation.

Giyans, Ohrians, Hocotations, and Koppaites…How funny that there are so many planets represented here on this tiny, little nondescript ball of dirt floating in space.

Nelle comes across as quite aloof, doesn’t she? She doesn’t seem to pal around much with her crew either. You know what? I can respect a healthy work-life balance.

Koppaites are notoriously poor planners, but you can only judge something like that on an individual basis. Dobbs, for example, is pretty laid-back, while Yorke tends to plan ahead. Nelle, on the other hand, can be…pretty intense. Especially when the topic turns to food.

You never know what you’ll learn when you peruse your Tablet or talk to someone new around here.

[everydayarsonist]

EverydayArsonist’s Pikmin Headcanons: Part One: The Pikmin

@spoopy-chipster

•Pikmin onions have an odd life cycle. They are formed from seeds deep underground, and if they get enough nutrients, they will become an Onion. If not, they will become a Candypop Bud and either stay underground or burrow up to the surface. If they form into an Onion they will stay underground or burrow up depending on their type. Red, Yellow, Blue, Rock, Winged, and Ice burrow up while White and Purple stay underground. Onions then propagate Pikmin with the help of a leader (supposed to be a Mamuta) and grow and spread seeds. Onions will naturally seek out other Onions over time and fuse with them. Once an Onion has fused with at least two others, it searches for the highest point it can find and lands there, anchoring its roots to the ground and preventing Pikmin from being produced. It uses all the nutrients and energy of the Pikmin within it to create seeds that it showers onto the landscape. For every four seeds that bury themselves and become Onions or Candypop buds, one is a Lumiknoll Seed. Lumiknolls produce Glow Sap out of impurities in the soil around them, making it safe for Pellet Posies to bloom. Lumiknolls lure in enemies with the same electromagnetic signals that Onions use to communicate with Pikmin. The natural energy of a Lumiknoll disintegrates corpses, Turing them into Glow Pellets. Once a Lumiknoll has survived its first night, it creates crystals around it that allow Onions to land and leaves behind a core that activates every subsequent night.

•Pikmin have a hivemind-esque intelligence where they act independently but communicate and share their experiences with their Onion, allowing the species to become smarter over time.

•Pikmin have a very simplistic language known as Pikkish with a few main phrases;

-Howa- Carry

-Whaoh- Fight (Includes digging)

-Wie- Multiply (also used to refer to the Onion)

-Toka- Eaten (used synonymously with “death” as a whole)

-Danor- Time (associated with sunset, sunrise, and optimization)

-Orima- Leader (phrase only used after Olimar’s original crash)

•Glow Pikmin do not act like regular Pikmin or speak their language. Instead, they use a separate language known only as “Nightspeak”;

-Ehu- Grow (meaning carrying pellets back to Lumiknolls or Tricknolls)

-Heuho- Hunt (specifically going out towards enemies)

-Huohe- Protect (specifically protecting a Lumiknoll or Tricknoll. Nobody knows why there is a distinction between Heuho and Huohe.)

-Yiiiii- Glowmob (a command towards the other glow pikmin to form a glowmob)

-Rehoho- Strategy (Tricknoll, or the coming of sunrise.)

•Glow Pikmin do not have a word for “Lumiknoll”

•Pikmin were developed a decade before humanity was wiped out in order to fight the effects of climate change by growing plants across the world. They followed humans around as they walked, planting seeds as they did so. In the final days of humanity, the Onions were developed alongside the Mamutas and placed in the Svalbard Seed Vault. 90% of humans left Earth while the remaining ones were wiped out.

[cosmignon]

I know "the pikmin 4 player character is Olimar's daughter" was always a loosey goosey theory AND got thoroughly debunked when the game came out. but i still think abt it every so often bc can you imagine the drama.

first she becomes a rescue corp member bc she was inspired by her dad's past adventures to help ppl

then he crash lands* and she can't join the rescue mission bc shes a rookie

THEN the rest of the corps crash so she gets to come along anyways

THEN DADS A PLANT MAN... WILD!

it would definitely be a fun au imo. maybe one im rotating a little. i have 2 baby idea aus now rotating in my head where its just "ok if olimar's stuck here send more of his family to him instead" . will i do anything w/them? who's to say. but its fun to talk abt. fun to jot down

*possibly not the first time this happens if you dont think p4 is a soft reboot,

[maize-is-lost]

I've recently started working on a Pikmin AU story. Not quite done with the first chapter but I figured it would be fun to post what I've got so far.

-

There’s something funny about how different characters will start the same story. No matter how far apart they live, no matter how they were raised, no matter what they’re doing at the start, eventually they will all spin into the same yarn.

For Olimar, the story begins with an unexpected banging against the hull of the S.S. Dolphin as it flies through deep space. 

For Louie, the story begins when he’s called to the President’s office for an “imperative” mission.

A little over a month has passed since his coworker’s disappearance. At first he doesn’t realize anything’s wrong. Anyone who’s spent any time with Olimar knows how much the man loves his family; and while he loves his job, he often laments how it keeps him away from his wife and children. When he doesn’t come back from vacation on time, Louie just assumes the man had quit and moved on to better things. He wouldn’t have blamed him. The assumption explains why the President becomes more and more nervous in the following days. What it doesn’t explain is why Olimar’s wife keeps showing up at Hocotate Freight’s headquarters to yell at Louie’s boss.

His first thought is that maybe she was just that salty over how much her husband had been overworked these last few months. 

Then he realizes the S.S. Dolphin isn’t where it’s usually stored. Olimar loved that ship, but he definitely wasn’t making enough money to buy it off of the company.

There’s whispers of a lawsuit.

Or worse, an internal investigation.

The company must have hooked her up with some really good insurance though, because she stops coming around after a few weeks. Everyone who didn’t quit during the chaos breathes a sigh of relief. It’s pretty easy to move on after that, they just have to work a little harder while the company hires new workers to replace what they’ve lost. 

Not long after that, people start receiving The Transmission.

Yeah, capital “The,” capital “T.” It’s necessary.

Most people hear about it from, well, the news. Louie doesn’t watch the news, though. Instead, he gets called up to the President’s office.

“Louie, my boy, you remember Olimar, don’t you?” Louie nods. He’s never been the best at remembering faces, but he imagines he could pick Olimar out in a photo (as long as he was surrounded by people who looked nothing like Olimar. It had been almost two months since he’d last seen his coworker, after all). “I’m sure you’ve been worried sick ever since he disappeared, I know I have!” the President wipes a nonexistent tear from his eye. Louie tries to keep from rolling his.

“Anyway, some great news has just come in. Have you seen Space Broadcast Inc.’s latest report?” Louie shakes his head. The President picks up a remote and turns, switching on a large TV on the other side of the room. It flickers on to a news report narrated by a woman with a swoop of pink hair covering her face. “Looks like they’re showing it again,” the President chortles.

“Earlier today, several parties received a mysterious transmission from a previously undiscovered planet,” the pink haired woman reports from a spaceship launch site. “This transmission shook the stars when it was discovered that it was sent by a missing captain from Hocotate Freight.”

Louie’s stomach turns. It hasn’t escaped his notice that he’s the only person the President called. He doesn’t like where this is going.

The video of the pink haired woman changes to a split screen. One side shows Olimar’s work ID photo while the other side shows captions as the transmission plays.

“My name is Captain Olimar. I am a delivery pilot with Hocotate Freight. While traveling, I crash landed on an undetected planet. I have limited life support remaining and am unable to repair my ship. Please send help as soon as possible.”

This time, Louie can’t help but shiver at the voice that plays while his coworker’s face is on screen. The audio is crunchy, but he can tell that the speaker’s voice is a smooth baritone, like honey dripping off a spoon. It’s oddly calm given the situation that had been described. 

There’s one thing he knows for certain.

That wasn’t Olimar’s voice.

The two of them hadn’t spent much time together in the month after Louie started working at Hocotate Freight, but what time they had worked together had often been filled with Olimar’s anecdotes or analyses. The man filled the silence wherever he went. At the time, Louie hadn’t minded. Olimar never expected him to respond verbally like most other people did. He wouldn’t have minded working with Olimar longer, really. But either way, Louie had heard enough of Olimar’s voice to recognize it even after all this time. The voice in the video was similar, sure, but it wasn’t nearly as expressive as the Captain’s. And there was something about the tone, something he couldn’t place, that didn’t settle right in his stomach.

Louie opens his mouth to say something, but the President has been talking this whole time and doesn’t notice Louie’s poor attempt to interrupt.

“-anyway I read the data logs he sent with the message and it looks like this mysterious planet is full of treasure! Enough to pull us out of debt and keep us out of the red for decades! So as soon as I heard other crews were heading to that planet I decided that I’d send you, one of my best workers, to find Olimar and track down that treasure!”  

Louie leaves the office with a mission and a newfound sense of dread. He doesn’t have long before he’s expected to leave, and there’s no telling when he’ll be back. He needs to pack. He needs to call his grandmother.

What are you supposed to say to someone when you don’t know if you’ll come home alive?

(Update: second part has been posted)

[eldritch-elrics]

actually i lied. i'm not going to sleep i'm going to talk about plasm wraith.

why does it want olimar so badly? here's a couple thoughts i had.

first of all, it's got a hole in its face. i wonder if that could symbolize some sort of incompleteness. (a la fecto forgo/elfilis from kirby...!) it wants olimar because it's decided that he will make it whole, maybe? bit of a stretch, but olimar does call attention to that hole so i'm wondering why it could be there.

regardless, i bet it's lonely. all the other enemies in that area turn into goop when you kill them, so it seems like it's created this whole ecosystem by itself... perhaps to keep it company? to keep olimar company? i'd say it's implied that plasm wraith is in some way sentient, so... man. that would be so sad!

the low-hanging fruit is the interpretation that plasm wraith's fixation on olimar is romantic/sexual. i think that's kind of boring. it's this weird inhuman monster; idk if it has a concept of "romance"! and i love monsterfucking & trying to make weird ships work out as much as the next guy, but eh, this relationship just seems too one-sidedly toxic. it's more interesting to choose different avenues of interpretation here imo. (though it's very very funny to make jokes about "yandere slimegirl," as me and my friends have been doing..)

personally - and i've only just started thinking about this so my thoughts may evolve later - i think it makes a lot of sense to view the plasm wraith's feelings as a twisted version of the pikmin's. the pikmin view olimar as something akin to a parent - perhaps the wraith views olimar as something akin to a child? it's very gentle with him, it "hugs" him, it forms itself into a protective shell around him... and it seems like it keeps forcibly activating his suit's sleep mode, perhaps to keep him calm or docile, or perhaps because it assumes he needs more sleep, like a baby...

"protection" is really the big theme i'm thinking about. it's not hard to read olimar's story in pik3 in contrast with his story in pik4. he crash lands on a planet, is in a sort of desperate state, comes across a weird creature, and the weird creature gets very attached to him and in a way keeps him away from others visiting the planet. though this time olimar's suit wasn't damaged, i wonder if the plasm wraith's instinct was to keep him in the oak (where there are no real monsters, only plasm clones) in order to protect him from the outside world.

(or maybe his suit WAS a bit damaged, and that's why it keeps activating sleep mode?)

as in that post i just reblogged - there's for sure a running theme of olimar's fate being intertwined with pnf404 and the creatures there. they love him so much, and sometimes it's wonderful and sometimes it's terrifying because it's a love that can't be understood in human terms. they want to keep him, because he completes them somehow.

finally, i'm wondering if louie met plasm wraith before olimar did (that's how he knows what it tastes like...) and that's why he warned him away from the oak. if so, what did the plasm wraith think of louie, i wonder?

[obsidian-warthog]

'Olimar always crashes into the same planet haha he's such a bad pilot' is the 'Peach is just some damsel who never does anything' or 'Jonathan Harker is so oblivious' of the Pikmin fandom. 2 and 3 do not feature any crashes from Olimar.

He was stranded in 3 by his ship being destroyed on the surface by the Quaggled Mireclops. The final scene of the Olimar's Assignment mode has him expect a smooth return to Hocotate, which only makes sense if the Hocotate Ship hadn't been Mireclopsed yet. Meaning it was only destroyed, thus stranding him, after he was abducted by the Plasm Wraith and couldn't do anything about it.

Also Hey Pikmin, which does have him crash, is set on a different planet. And the cause of the crash is a malfunction in the warp drive putting Olimar right into an asteroid field, an unexpected machine error. Additionally you can't use it against Olimar in 4 unless you can explain how he goes from the S.S Dolphin II to the S.S Dolphin I again.

Pikmin 1's manual also states that the S.S Dolphin was on autopilot when the meteor collided with it, so his own piloting skills weren't even a factor there. The Guard Satellite is stated to be an automated defense mechanism, reliable enough to consistently fend off space pirates, so Olimar had reason to believe threats like the asteroid wouldn't strike before he could get to the pilot's seat.

In the grand total of the series Olimar has crashed on PNF 404 twice, and those times were in different continuities (you have to do absurd gymnastics to say 4 isn't a reboot), with one other crash into a different planet.

In 1 and Hey it was due to the failure of a ship feature that previously proved reliable. In 4 there are clear implications of a mysterious force making everyone crash like what caused the S.S Drake's crash in 3, and people don't say Alph is a shit engineer for the S.S Drake's one showing having it crash for reasons he can't even figure out.

You know what has actually caused Olimar to go back to PNF 404 repeatedly in the same continuity, the president of the Hocotate Freight Company. Both of his visits to the planet in both 2 and 3 are ordered and overseen by the Hocotate President. That's four of the five visits there in the original continuity, the crash is the odd one out actually.

One of Olimar's 4 treasure notes even mentions a special good pilot license he has that lets him skip the license renewal bureaucracy, which he mourns the inevitable loss of due to crashing on the planet, meaning it's his first time crashing in a long time at least, if not ever.

[phantomrose96]

I’ve not finished the game yet but making Louie the absolutely OP antagonist of the post-game was the funniest thing they could have done, I’ve decided.

First off we’re not even sure why he’s here. Presumably he was sent to rescue Olimar by their boss and then crash-landed himself. And instead of being turned into a helpless castaway like literally everyone else including people whose very profession is rescue crew, this galactic truck driver carved out his own survival through sheer unrestrained violence and voracious predation of literally all the wildlife 100s of times his size and eager to kill him.

And also presumably he realized he liked this way way better and that if he continued to play dead he’d never have to go back to work and can live out his days causing mass extinctions in the name of eating everything that dares to be organic. This decision came with saying “fuck Olimar, I guess.”

Did Louie even HAVE pikmin before running into Moss in the post-game? Was he just ripping and tearing things apart with his ant-sized appendages? Killing bulblaxes with teeth and finger nails? He must have run into Dandori Olimar along the way. Did he just look at the undead monstrosity of his former coworker he was sent here to save and go “bro seems fine. Peace.” Theyre truck drivers your honor.

And then in the post-game Olimar is like “hey Louie it’s me! I’m alive!” and Louie fucking high tails it out of there. WITH A HOSTAGE. Because ???????

Is he afraid if Olimar gets home he’s gonna tell their boss on him and Louie’s gonna be dragged back to Hocotate? I don’t think that’s what’s happening because it requires too much foresight and planning from Louie. This man does not think. This man only knows bastardry and violence. I think he ignores Olimar over the intercom because even he doesn’t know what’s happening. This leads me to believe he takes hostages just because. And steals from them just because. He’s discovered a planet where being an absolute bastard is its own reward, and in the place where dozens of others greater than him have crashed and fallen weak and fallen stranded and even died, Louie thrives. Louie becomes your biggest nightmare.

This man eats bugs.