#hc9 spoilers

[l-boomburg]

GET BACK HERE YOU JERK

[the-chessboard-is-personal]

Spoilers for Grain's 30th HC9 episode: BACK TO HERMITCRAFT!

This isn't the theory anymore I just

GRUMBOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

WHOEVER LAUNCHED THAT FUCKING MISSILE IS MY LEAST FAVORITE EMPIRES CHARACTER NOW. CURSE OF REOCCURRING NIGHTMARES WITH CREATURES AND HORRORS BITING THEM BITING THEM BITING THEM BITING THEM BITING THEM BITING THEM BITING THEM BITING THEM BITING TH

[chess-is-art]

Spoilers for Hermitcraft 9 Grian ep30: BACK TO HERMITCRAFT!

Me when I find out it was PIXLRIFFS that launched that missle

Hammer of KILL KILL ATTACK DESTROY SHATTER DECIMATE DEMOLISH PULVERIZE ANNIHILATE HURT DAMAGE PAIN PAIN PAIN PAI

[seawaveleo]

“if you give me 15 embers i’ll come in ‘n move that ravager for ya”

*one of the most pained noises i’ve heard from etho*

[gingersnapped]

decked out 2 phase winners btw. if you even care

[hottubsandwiches]

hermits got the dungeon master working a 9/5

[simplydm]

Wait, the hermits had a watch party of grian and scar blowing up doc’s machine??? That’s so funny omg they really were like guys look at how bad we fucked up. Don’t tell doc btw

[otselotus]

He made them work

[sillysnaily]

Hang in there! You can do it! <- half truth

[sprucefrog]

There hasn't been a video from the buttercups latetely, maybe they're on vacation...oh

[daydreaminglifelesslove]

im glad doc talked about in his new video the overwhelming amount of comments he’s got as this whole started as a accident prank war, tbh maybe getting them again, of along the line of: if he and grian weren’t on opposite sides as rivals in wars/story lines they’d be an unstoppable duo if they teamed up. and how that still could happen whenever that’d be, and how he never picked the role or filled in the role completely by choice, or thought he’d be a rival or expect how they are on opposite sides a lot. as he says, it’s just how it happens and plays out, how a lot of things happen on hermitcraft sometimes tbh. and how he does appreciate the work and effort and voice and attitude grian put, even all the way back in season 6 when he joined, of creating storylines and rivalries and him taking a leadership role in the hermitcraft youtubers group and community. of him (grian) coaxing and pushing & leading the others to join in if they wanted to, and then doc sharing it sorta was on him with beef, etho, and bdubs in season 5 with making the nho and still wanting to bring it back. just, idk, the appreciation and reminder that these guys are friends, that though they don’t personally collab via streams or other games etc, in their work and general fun they appreciate each other a lot and i love that. as a fan of both guys, who is :D & i can go absolutely insane at the mention of the nho, it makes me happy.

[the-chessboard-is-personal]

Okay so I just binged all of Cub's episodes starting with the one where he goes through the rift, and I have a theory, which I will explain in detail under the cut.

Disclaimer: I have only watched Grian's, and now Cub's POV on Empires. I did do some research on the different locations through the Empires S2 Wiki.

[Spoilers for Cub's 46th episode: SPREAD THE SCULK!.]

Also LOOOOONG post with a BUNCH of speculation and maybe some stuff that's more hope than observation

The Sculk Theory, what I know from Cub's POV

Cub went to investigate the fog that was plaguing Evermoore, and ventured into the thickest of it. He was eventually paralyzed with fear and the screen went blue, some sounds were made, and Cub left the forest, accompanied by a temporary change in the pitch of his voice.

Note: the screen went fully blue between scenes.

Cub's ultimate goal is to "Spread the souls, spread the sculk." However, Cub did not care about sculk to that degree before this incident.

Now here's the point I'm trying to get to.

Are Cub and Cub the same person?

Here's the evidence for both sides:

No:

• Biting sounds included at the 6:09 string of noises

• Didn't happen onscreen

• The sound string itself could be something else than what everyone seems to think

Yes:

• Quotes like "As we claimed our newest soul" and "With these two tasks anchored in the mind" imply Cub had ideas placed into his mind

• The fog itself could be the thing that paralyzed Cub, and what's more intense of a "movement deficit" than paralysis? A word I would rather not type, that's for sure

That then begs the question: if Cub and Cub are different, if Cub was replaced by something... where is Cub now?

Elaboration of first No point

First: Biting sounds could indicate a creature biting Cub to gain the ability to replace him accurately (knowledge, appearance, inventory etc), and that would be cool

Going through all the locations on the Empires server, most signs point to one of 6 locations: the Ancient Capital, Dawn, Gobland, the Olipoligo, Skull Fort, or not even teleported at all. (I will get to why I excluded the places I did.)

The Ancient Capital

\ [My former point about The Machine being mysterious, unknown and tied to sculk has been nullified due to watching a clip of Pixl's second episode and finding out it's literally just a sculk farm.]

+ The Machine is still notable though, seeing as it can supply a large, if not infinite amount of sculk, and since the fog is almost definitely tied to sculk, it would most likely sense that such a machine exists.

- However, the Ancient Capital is close to spawn, as well as other people's bases, so if Cub was teleported there, he could be found rather quickly.

Dawn

+ Dawn is far from the majority of people's bases, as well as spawn, making it not the first choice to look for the missing Cub.

- However, it is also far from Evermoore, making teleportation potentially more difficult.

- It is also seemingly very populated, assuming the fog isn't powerful enough to tell the difference between players and mobs.

Gobland

+ The interior of Gobland partially uses soul lanterns for lighting, tying it to the first thing the fog wants to spread.

+ It is underground, not only making it harder to get out of (can't get out easily if you can't see anything, no?), but also giving more hiding places for it to put Cub.

+ Sculk seems to have a moderate connection to fWhip and Gobland, as there is an ancient city nearby, sculk and sculk veins in/on buildings, and fWhip putting a Warden in Joel's base.

+ Gobland, to an outsider, is a somewhat intimidating place, as it's covered in pointed dripstone, making potential search parties either avoid the place altogether or be wary (re: slow)

+ Oli cage stream?? maybe??? has something to do with it???Idk I just searched "empires smp shrieker cage" on youtube

- Like Dawn, Gobland is seemingly very populated.

- Also like Dawn, it's close to people's bases/spawn.

- Gobland has a lot of allies, so people would be visiting more often, therefore more chances to find Cub.

Olipoligo

+ Oli is slightly annoying /j, so people don't tend to stick around for long.

+ The place is seemingly desolate

+ Far from people's bases/spawn

- Olipoligo is small, so a thorough search would not only not take long, there's not many hiding spots.

Skull Fort

+ This place is even more intimidating than Gobland.

+ It's VERY far from people's bases/spawn, as well as Evermoore, making it probable that it would be the last place people would look.

+ It's very dark, tying into the "darkness be upon you" quote

+ Soul lanterns

+ Desolate and (compared to other places) forgettable, where else?

+ Good way to reuse a "one-time" lore area

- VERY far from Evermoore, making teleportation potentially difficult

Bonus: The Hermitcraft Server

+ Completely impossible for anyone on the Empires server to find Cub

+ Puts Cub out of the picture completely, leaving Cub to spread the souls and sculk uninhibited

- Could be impossible to teleport through the rift.

- Hermits who never went through the rift would find Cub and help.

Or maybe, I'm overestimating this fog. Maybe it can't teleport people. Then my entire theory is wrong, right?

No.

Well, not necessarily.

The Warden can burrow into the ground when it needs to. Who's to say the fog can't make the ground open up and swallow a person whole? So:

Buried in Evermoore Woods

+ The fog can guard Cub's location, stalling (or even stopping!) search parties.

+ It has the potential to get others to stumble in and get replaced as well, which in turn would further dissuade search parties in a feedback loop.

+ No teleportation required!

+ This could also explain the sounds as being the ground splitting apart to bury Cub.

+ Really cool plot twist

+ 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦

- The only drawback is that Evermoore, and by extension the forest, would likely be the first place people would look for Cub in.

Why I Excluded Places

Not enough evidence for, or too much evidence against.

Animalia is very populated, near spawn and between people's bases, and it has no points for it.

Chromia is also near spawn and between people's bases, with the only point for it being "Desolate, according to Grian's visit in his POV"

Cogsmead is Near Stuff, as well as near Evermoore (which would add one point for and one point against). The only unique thing it has for it is that there's a lot of mysteries going on around there, so people may be distracted with those.

Eversea is near Evermoore, and has lots of allies (and therefore visits, presumably.) It has Distance From Stuff going for it, as well as Eversea has lots of enemies as well, so Pirate Joe would be too focused on that.

GlimmerGrove also has lots of allies, and is very far from Evermoore (making teleportation potentially difficult.) The only benefit is that its Distance From Stuff

The Sanctuary is very populated, as well as having lots of allies and being Near Stuff. It's near Evermoore, but Sausage did use the Magic of the Sanctuary to construct a cave for the Warden that was put there (by who, I don't know.), which contains both sculk and soul lanterns. (Also the end of Sausage's 16th episode may have some relevance)

Stratos feels like the complete opposite of the Deep Dark. Floating above the ground and full of light. Also it's very populated and Near Stuff. The only benefit is that it can go invisible, allegedly.

Tumble Town is small, near spawn and has lots of allies. However, it is near Evermoore.

Hermitopia, if I even have to say, is Near Stuff, EXTREMELY frequently traveled, and VERY populated. It has no points for it except maybe that it's so ludicrous of an idea that it might just be a good one.

As far away as possible would be another idea, say just somewhere 3 miles positive (on both axis) of Eversea, but one, Cub could stumble back by accident. Two, he could die and be sent back to spawn. And three, someone else could just find him while out randomly!

Other Points

"If Cub was replaced by Cub, why is the POV following Cub?" - Because the plotline just wouldn't work if it followed Cub. The entire comments sections would know and tell literally everyone else. Besides, no one would know what Cub is up to.

Also that as a plot device is overused to hell, even outside of minecraft. Steven Universe, Amphibia, Owl House, Dsmp, Gravity Falls, Name one show made for people above 6 that doesn't have that as a plotline. Please, I want to watch more shows-

But that's just a theory. A- pleasebetruepleasebetruepleasebetruepleasebetruepleasebetruepleasebetruepleasebetruepleasebetruepleasebetruepleasebetruepleasebetruepleasebetrue

[tango-but-everywhere]

He’s wearing armour for once. And he’s proud of himself! As he should be!!

Tango, season 9 episode 36

[ID: A minecraft screenshot from hermitcraft 9, taken on top of one of the newest towers of Deep Frost Citadel. There’s another two towers in the background, both much higher than the one Tango’s standing on. They’re made of dark blocks like deepslate and blackstone, accented with teal and purple. Tango is standing in the centre of the image, looking at the viewer. He’s in his deep frost skin, and he’s wearing enchanted elytra, diamond boots and pants. He’s holding a rocket. End ID]

[seawaveleo]

what’s up, buttercup?

[anony-mouse-writer]

grumbo, immediately upon learning theres not a mumbo on empires: oh well blow it all up ig

[hottubsandwiches]

idk how he got the top score 2 weeks in a row but slay !!