#date everything lore

Skylar is not just the glasses (i.e. frame, lenses, normal components), but specifically something called the "suspension of disbelief" inside of them that functions as an inter-dimensional translator.

The dateables are physically tied to objects (or the mental stimulation of concepts), but their personhood is actually a wavelength Skylar calls "animus," and exist in a different reality.

This alternate reality experiences time and space differently than we do, but seems to correlate with the physical objects in our reality. They also communicate in an entirely different way, so the "suspension of disbelief" acts as some kind of neurological bridge between how the dateables exist, and our capabilities of perception.

Skylar herself is a kind of mechanism that predetermines how the dateables appear (Skylar says "... I can shape [the dateables] into whatever form I want... it's just my representation of what they are in total."), influencing their perceived human forms that later become "fully" human after Realization. This decision is impacted by where the object was made, but subtle changes like accessorizing seem to be voluntary on the dateable's part.

On the topic of appearance and what she makes from "what they are in total," Skylar brings up wavelengths; each "animus" of an object or concept operates at a different frequency. She provides Luke as an example: Luke was created when microwaves were created, that's when his distinct frequency was established. every microwave is Luke, and Luke is aware of all of his instances. Another example, Dorian, is the "animus" of every door: He is always Dorian because he is a frequency. His small appearance changes, even just in the player's home, are completely voluntary (Skylar says, "sometimes it's just fun to put on a costume.").

Small note on this: Skylar mentions that everyone looks "human" because she is a pair of human glasses. If she were made to fit dogs, everyone would then look like dogs.

Dateables can change from being one to another-- think of Dirk and Clarence. Technically, they are the same, but depending on the state in which one finds them will determine who they speak to (Skylar says: "...with objects, it happens as a plank of wood slowly becomes a toy boat. The wood didn't change, but the status did, and once it's more toy boat than plank of wood it changes its wavelength... once the object or idea becomes large enough to have its own state, it breaks off the wavelength and forms a new one."). This wavelength is what Skylar calls "animus."

Eddie talks about making Volt; in this situation it can be assumed that Volt started branching off as his own frequency until he was able to separate from Eddie and exist independently. How much of Volt's existence did Eddie actually have a hand in? How much was it Volt trying to gain autonomy? [SPOILER] Based on the dialogue, it seems that Volt only exists here in this house because of the stress of the faulty wire, though Volt seems to share some memories with Eddie, so do they actually have distinct frequencies, or is it more like Volt is the same frequency just... [in music terms] an octave difference? The frequency is the same, but the pitch is different?

This also provides context into how some objects seem to have relatives, Like Stefan. Stefan mentions his mother, Chiminea (which is an older version of an oven), meaning that when the stove/oven appliance was created from the idea of previous stoves and ovens, Stefan was made. It's possible he was pulled from her wavelength, though I think it's more meant to make "relatives" as the predecessor items. Rongomaiwhenhua is the animus of the earth, hence her referring to many objects like Beau and Gaia as iterations of herself (her using terms like "children" I think are more from her acting like a goddess). Freddy mentions being the "runt of the litter" for his fridge siblings, perhaps different models.

This would also imply that Diana, for example, used to be Lyric or Penelope before we wrote in her.

So, for appearances, Dorian will always have brown hair as long as Skylar imagines him to have such. However, I would enunciate that even wavelengths can have gender if they want (as it is personal expression and a social construct). The objects don't actually have genitalia, so when Skylar gives them sexually dimorphic features typically seen in humans, she's operating under how they identify/refer to themselves as wavelengths. I would think there would be some kind of conversation between Skylar and each dateable in regard to their appearance, ensuring they are being represented as comfortably as possible... though since they aren't human I suppose that's like trusting someone to draw a character you describe.

I also believe that while Doug is the animus of a true concept, one could argue Skips is in fact tied to shadows which... are sort of physically existing? Though, shadows are the absence of light, light is just information, so Skips would be... the absence of information. Which to me, is not really a concept, but that's where some very complicated discussions about what defines something as "physical" and whether or not shadows are a state of mind. :)

Quick mention of the mobility of dateables:

While there isn't too much Skylar mentions/we have options for dialogue in regard to objects moving for lore, there are a few hints that I have used to come up with a theory. Skylar mentions that when we "activate" objects/concepts, they do a little wiggle (that we physically see). This wiggle is Skylar activating her translation between realities: "Dateviators can vibrate at the same wavelength as these objects, which is why when we awaken something it wiggles a little." I believe that, once "awakened," the bridge between realities is lessened, and the objects are able to exercise some physical autonomy... if they want to. Some dateables, like Dasha or Abel, seem to be content to stay where they are/how the person living around them positions them. That goes for most of the dateables. Others, like Bodhi or Bobby exhibit a clear desire to move, and once they have been attuned to our physical reality with the dateviators, are able to do so. Hypothetically, any of the objects could leave (except for those who are literally built into the house like Celia, Florence, or even Dorian), but they already exist elsewhere in other instances.

Quick side note: the existence of Bodhi would indicate any time period that has a time capsule creates an animus of (at least) a particular decade. Thanks to @sugarcubedd for confirming this: Bodhi mentions a grandmother who is a time capsule of another decade.

Why does Gaia insist she can't go places then? Probably to have an interesting character and questline. Maybe, she doesn't want to just go places, but to experience them from the perspectives of those who live/are from there (and to have assistance in meeting people/socializing). Why does Jacques not move around the house on his own? If I recall, he was specifically looking for a good adventure, not just mobility, which requires input from other parties (and gaining a cockroach crew basically gave him friends to hang out with).

Skylar also mentions some of what happens when the dateables are Realized, so lore spoilers ahead:

Skylar isn't actually making anyone human, just human-like (she likens it to veggie-burgers). There is no actual flesh being supplied, but the wavelengths of each object are strengthened through intense emotions (like love or friendship, presumably hatred as well), and are then able to be given a different physical form. This is also contingent upon the person wearing the dateables increasing their SPECS points.

When an "animus" in human form "dies," they just... lose their human form. No corpse, because there is technically no flesh. They still exist as a wavelength, and simply go back to being an object/concept. Skylar also mentions that humans have an "animus" as well, though whether we are all the same wavelength in "different costumes" or individually distinct wavelengths is uncertain.

Presumably, this indicates that the dateables still have an awareness of their iterations as objects across the universe, even when in human form. Though, the.. shall we say... site-specific events don't necessarily carry over, only the knowledge of things occurring (if a cup is shattered on one side of the planet, Daisuke just knows it happened, it doesn't mean every instance of him is then injured. He just retains the memory of that pain).

This could imply an afterlife for humans, or at least that we exist in the same alternate reality that the objects do, but because of our organic forms we can't perceive it. So once the player dies, hypothetically one could argue that we can talk to/be with the dateables in their reality. Perhaps we get reincarnated into another body, but the organic constraints mean we lose memories.

There is a very clear relationship that we, as humans, have with affecting the animus of the objects/concepts both individually and as a species.

Skylar mentions that the vast, rapid, and continuous commercialization and consumerism has helped to distinguish certain personalities, and has crossed over into skewed but relative cultures for objects. Things like their names are a direct result of the words we use to describe them.

This related to describing how objects can change from one to another animus, but this shows that we, as humans, perhaps have a much greater role than anyone realizes. Teddy and Diana are examples of this theory. Teddy makes it clear he was young when you were, and grew up with you. Diana is a direct product of the player's canon spontaneous thoughts and incoherent ramblings, would she be different if the player canonically wrote more coherently? Things like Luke and Friar Errol are a direct result of human innovation, so our ability to make new things quite literally creates new people. We [humans] had a hand in making Dirk/Clarence, though he only mentions his mother (a loom?) making him. Perhaps we are viewed as more of a force of nature? A natural event like a hurricane that can hold equal parts devastation, but bring unprecedented changes and new opportunities.

[Spoiler?] Monique, being the animus of savings, seems very concerned with us spending her. I'm under the impression that if everyone were to no longer save their money, have no savings to speak of, Monique would... disappear? But just as easily as she would be gone, the moment someone saves money again, she would be back [this was a dialogue option regarding forgetting/destroying each object that exists in the universe with Skylar that I didn't pick]. Not to mention, if everyone on Earth were to do away with Monique, if she still exists that would confirm life elsewhere in the universe that has the concept of saving money. [Spoiler] In some of Tony's dialogue, he mentions that an uncle of his (who he isn't actually related to) was a toolbox who fell from a crane and completely shattered. Tony says that he didn't actually die, but was essentially disabled and retired-- I suppose we must assume that this other toolbox was a different kind from Tony for both to independently exist, and we can use this example to support that the dateables don't actually die if one instance of their object (or somehow concept) is destroyed.

Vocabulary:

Animus- Skylar's term for the wavelength that is an object/concept's persona. It can hypothetically take any form, determined by who or what is meant to wear the dateviators.

Dateable(s)- a term I (and others) use to describe the characters in the game that are either objects/concepts. I use this term because I feel it better describes them as people even though they are non-human.

Known familial relationships (feel free to mention if there's more, this is all I have come across in-game):

Stefan has a "mother" named Chiminea

Freddy Yeti has siblings, [presumably] other refridgerators

Dirk/Clarence has a mother who is a loom

Diana mentions taking out pages, which could potentially make her own children

Kristof mentions [presumably] other cross-fit trainers as his clan/family group

Dunk has a father who shares his name, and is described as just a shuttlecock (whereas Dunk seems to be multiple pieces of equipment)

Johnny mentions his grandfather [maybe great-grandfather or father, I can't remember] was a septic tank. Another grandfather/father may have been mentioned as a shower as well (though his lore was a bit questionable/potentially made up) [thank you @rorydrawsandwrites for adding, I thought he mentioned having shower relatives, but I definitely remember septic tank being mentioned in his lineage. Further investigation is needed.]

Bodhi has a grandmother who is another decade/time capsule

honorable mention for Tony's "non-uncle" who he described as not actually being related to him

Bobby Pinn mentions their family of bobby pins [thank you @of-chaos-and-flame, I hadn't gone through their storyline yet]

Curt has a mom (Mrs./Ms. Chaffon) [thank you @kirukimi]

Vaughn Trapp mentions a mother, presumably another trap (though unconfirmed)

Rebel mentions over a million other rubber ducks in a familial way

Known frequency/animus changes [of one object becoming another] (feel free to mention if there's more canonically mentioned by characters other than Skylar, this is all I have come across in-game) [I edited this to highlight which I feel are truly canon (and which are more headcanon), because making the distinction between voluntary alternate appearances and true splits in wavelengths requires more discussion]:

Rongomaiwhenua mentions Gaia is a representation of her, Beau and Jacques are both different forms of her (perhaps her goddess status is because being all known metals/minerals)

Volt splits from Eddie, this isn't explicitly stated to be a familial relationship, and being able to thruple with them would support that it isn't. Perhaps they are more like positive/negative charges that split independently from the unified circuit, Eddie being the major frequency before

Diana mentions potentially making children (which would imply splitting their frequency from hers)

[potentially] Dirk becomes Clarence (and vice versa), the status of him being clean or dirty determine his animus

[potentially] Connie splits herself? Then coalesces? Could be read as a minor change in her animus, but her character/appearance doesn't really change

[potentially] Isolde is Beau, but an alternate version. The two are described as "not quite twins," so it's likely the state of being able to be locked (a chest) that makes Isolde unique

[potentially] River mentions changing states [of matter], it's possible the solid and gas version of her would be different from her being liquid (like Dirk/Clarence), but ultimately it's still her same frequency [...if one makes soup, does that mean River becomes Mitchell?]

[potentially] Bobby Pinn was "bent" at some point, which seems to have altered their personality and could indicate a change in frequency compared to a non-bent bobby pin

[Not my best written so far, but I feel much of this is already known in the fandom. I will put my reminder here that though I indulge the lore and what is canon to a serious degree, if you wish to ignore the canon you have every right and the agency to do so.]

To start by clearing the smoke, no, you do not touch the dateables prior to Realization. This is not only explained by Skylar, but is reinforced by options to consummate with loved dateables once they are Realized; many of them in some fashion describing this being the "first" time you actually touch them. Scandalabra also mentions, for his love ending, that he wants you to actually kiss/embrace his candelabra unlike what you have apparently done for the others-- notably that it would be important to him because of how scandalous it is, not that he would necessarily gain physical gratification. But what of all the times the narrator describes physical sensations (before Realization)? What about the items you receive (collectibles)? Is there any kind of danger of the dateables actually injuring/hurting you? What about the points in various storylines where it's clear some kind of intimacy is occurring?

Simply put, before realization, any kind of sexual involvement is described as a "melding of the consciousnesses" between you and the vibrofilus. While they do seem to have physical sensations connected to their objects (for those that have objects), it's important to remember that Skylar is a translator-- she is manipulating your brain to perceive things differently. Multiple times a dateable is introduced as replacing the object/in place of where an object was; so when the dateviators activate, you perceive your household items becoming humanoid individuals, but the object remains exactly as it was. What you are seeing and/or feeling is more so simply an activation of your brain and nervous system. Stimulation that replicates what you would expect to feel, without anything actually happening. Theoretically, this means that prior to Realization, vibrofilus are unable to cause physical harm to humans. However, it's possible that some are capable, though their ability to harm is contingent upon being interacted with (even without the dateviators).

Dante, for example, could theoretically burn you, but his ability to do so would be reliant upon nothing short of you actively lighting a fire and throwing yourself into it. Whether he would be able to not harm you is a separate question. With his love ending, when you kiss him, you are able to select a dialogue option in which it is implied his kiss burned you (or gave you such a sensation of being burned). It's possible this is simply a joke from the writers, but the implications for the lore are that either you were trying to physically kiss a lit fireplace (which you cannot do in game), or that Skylar wanted to present a realistic sensation of kissing someone who looked like smoldering logs.

Then there are objects like Luke and Mac that express clear... connection between your touching their physical object and some kind of intimate experience; however, this doesn't apply to all objects. Dunk, for example, doesn't get flustered at handling any sports equipment (though I have a theory that could explain that here). Stefan and Daisuke make no mention of their being handled, Stella and Florence make no particular note about you walking on them being painful or pleasurable. I find it likely that an object experiencing intimacy from relatively standard actions is largely dependent on personality and desire for intimacy.

Concepts like Doug and Nightmare don't have physical objects to interact with at all... so how does interacting with them work? Well, given that encounters with them necessitate some kind of additional action, I find it reasonable that their waves are most prevalent (and able to be translated by Skylar) when your brain is experiencing a particular mental state. The firings of certain neurons that result in your feeling afraid or despondent is the physical manifestation of these vibrofilus, as opposed to an object or item you interact with. Their existence and ability to interact with you is the best proof that there is no physical interaction taking place between you and any dateables prior to Realization.

Dunk is described as our sports equipment, no matter what kind of equipment we activate/interact with (be it weights, exercise ball, yoga mat, or the other equipment in the closet). But as one progresses through his storyline, we learn that he has a complicated relationship with his father, who is a shuttlecock (🏸 the item one hits back and forth in the sport badminton). Now, as per the established lore, this would mean that Dunk's wave (wavelength and/or frequency) was at some point divergent from his father's, so essentially that all sports equipment is a result of badminton. Maybe in the game universe, this is the history they establish...

Or maybe, Dunk isn't our sports equipment. In each interaction with Dunk, especially those that involve other characters, he makes it a point to dismiss the intensity of physical activities in favor of making sure it's enjoyable. He mentions that this, also, was how he had a falling out with his father-- that his father wanted him to "go professional" whereas Dunk just wanted to enjoy the game(s). If you reaffirm Dunk's perspective, he seems relieved that you, too, want to enjoy sports for the "fun" of it, instead of worrying about being strictly competitive (I would note that friendly competition would still be for fun). I theorize that Dunk isn't our sports equipment, but rather, the concept of sports as community activities (or, "sports for fun").

I would also posit with this theory, that Dunk isn't a divergent wave, but rather a convergent one-- the multiple waves of other objects/concepts combined to make a new wave, Dunk. This would explain why he embodies multiple types of sports equipment, but his father is just a shuttlecock. Why Dunk would consider the wave of the shuttlecock as his only father, is certainly a good question. Skylar mentions that a change in wave takes place gradually over an uncertain amount of time (some longer for others, depending on how long it takes us (as humans) to physically or mentally make one unique thing into another), so it's possible that Dunk did originate from the shuttlecock wave, and other waves converged into that one. Alright, but surely "sports as fun" has existed as a concept for a much longer time than badminton? Perhaps, but Dunk is specifically a manifestation of modern/contemporary sports, so if an iteration existed prior it would be its own unique wave.

A common question about the characters in the Date Everything world is whether or not each object you meet is the same elsewhere beyond the household. For those who haven't done Skylar's route or read any related things online about this, the answer is yes. Even if you haven't done either of these things, think of a few examples in the household (both in how you interact and certain dialogue dropped during routes)-- Dorian, one of our prime examples, is every door in the house. There isn't a different door for the exterior and interior doors, it's mostly just Dorian in a different outfit. Able is much the same, except he doesn't even look different depending on the kind of table you interact with. As it is established by the lore, anytime you interact with an object you interact with a single entity. Every mirror is Amir, every sink is Sinclaire, every chair is Chairemy, each dish will get you Daisuke, any section of kitchen cabinet will be Cabrizzio-- and no matter where in the world you are having these interactions, the results will always be the same.

Going back to our primary example, Dorian, there is an oddity as hinted at above (and is prevalent when interacting with each Dorian in-game). Unlike other objects that-- again, as established by the lore-- only have what is effectively a costume change when in different places, Dorian is the only case in which we see these quasi-personalities that, presumably, are categorized aspects of Dorian's sense of self. [Wow, what a sentence.] Except that... Dorian is technically not the only person who does this. Enter: Connie Soul.

Connie is a single wave-- the game console. And yet, before you truly establish any kind of relationship with her, you have to go through a repeated set of dialogue where Connie plays multiple characters (each with their own personalities), until you eventually help her in combining all of these different personas into her one true self. It may seem like this is just a game she plays with you, or some kind of grandiose act (not unlike Chairemy's route), but at the end it becomes clear that Connie was genuinely mentally fractured to some capacity from some unknown cause. How this differs from Dorian, of course, is the fact that each Dorian still refers to himself as Dorian. There are no alter egos, no other names or identities, just Dorian. However, most Dorians seem to have vastly different personalities. These personalities tend to have a direct correlation with the physical placement, shape, or orientation of the actual door one can physically touch. The laundry closet Dorian is depressed, more dejected, because he feels that his placement in the household is insignificant compared to other places.

Trap Dorian is horizontal-- which without knowing how orientation would impact other objects, it could be theorized that Dorian thinks being in a horizontal placement is inherently less proper, less mature, and therefore when installed that way he puts himself in a mental/emotional box of less propriety. Front (and somewhat back) Dorian seems to have little care for talking, intent on focusing on his job of being presentable and a barrier. Tiny Dorian is an especially fascinating case, because in no other instance does it seem that the physical size of an object has any sway over how they are translated through the dateviators. And while one may think that Skylar may just be doing that to get on Dorian's nerves, the dialogue from interacting with Tiny Dorian proves otherwise. He feels that, similar to laundry closet Dorian, others think of him as inadequate, unimportant. He's much more aggressive than the other Dorians are, more defensive. It could be that Tiny Dorian is tiny because it's a part of Dorian that is subconsciously exhibiting his fears in a more tangible manner. Perhaps there is much more variety in Dorian's visage from (potential) psychological trauma from past relationships [*cough* *cough* Keith *cough* *cough*] manifesting without him fully realizing/confronting internalized struggles.

And so, as the player goes around the house meeting each Dorian, you are meeting all the different facets of who Dorian is, and (I will posit) once you Realize him, he's all put back together-- conscious and subconscious.

But, Dorian's different personalities aside, there are a few objects that actually verge on breaking the established one-wave-per-unique-object rule. The best examples are Rebel and Bobby, and if you have not read this post where I discuss the issue a bit more, I will summarize here. Rebel, the rubber duck, mentions being one of millions of other factory produced ducks. Alright, so there's millions of Rebels. Except there aren't. Rebel doesn't even have the mental awareness of the other rubber ducks, unlike Able who knows where all of his other iterations are, and what happens around them. So, either this is a lapse in the canon or there are millions of unique factory produces rubber ducks. Likewise, Bobby Pinn mentions having a family (that is verified as true from Betty), which initially would imply two things: that Bobby Pinn is a unique wave of a bobby pin that broke off from a preceding pin of some kind (though they mention coming from a family of other bobby pins), and that, like the case may be with Rebel, that a mass produced item can have multiple unique waves per object. I personally think that Bobby's family may be different kinds of bobby pins (or other hair pins), or Bobby's unique status of being "bent" makes them unique. There may be other times/characters in which this notion in the canon is challenged or broken, but these are the two shining examples (note that Dorian still remains within the established canon rules).

Then there are the Hanks. A collective? A hive mind? Or perhaps as I suggest with Rebel and Bobby, each a unique wave for each Hank. Except that it is heavily implied that, canonically, there are more (much, much more) than just the five Hanks we meet. Which could mean, that every single hanger has a unique wave. But let's take a step back for a moment. Is it possible that the Hanks are some kind of single wave like Dorian that expresses distinct personalities but ultimately has just one identity? Honestly, that could very well be the case. The Hanks we meet always appear together, and despite slight variations in wants and needs, they all seem to always generally agree with one another. However, the existence of predecessor Hanks that they don't know what became of them or imply they know what became of them and it was debilitating if not potentially fatal would support that a single, "true" Hank does not exist.

Could the Hanks be some kind of conglomerate wave that acts as a hive mind? Going off the assumption that there is no single Hank wave, then it would be impossible for a hive mind situation to occur because their consciousnesses are not connected in any significant way (meaning they have to effectively communicate with one another as much as they would with any other person/wave). Perhaps it could be argued that different consciousnesses can function as a hive mind without the fictional element of being literally connected through some means, however, given that even in factual social situations dissonance is contrary to a hive mind, Hank #2 having isolated anxiety and fear that he expresses (and the other Hanks ignore to an extent) and each Hank having independent wants/desires would further disprove this theory.

And so I am left to assume that because each Hank is unique from the others, that that means each hanger is unique to some capacity. It's possible that as I suggest with Bobby Pinn's family, that different kinds of hangers could give us unique Hanks-- pants hangers, standard hangers; even the material could produce different waves. Hank #2 could be a wire hanger, less sturdy than the others and therefore more concerned with capability to perform extreme sports. The others could be wood, plastic, have notches to hold straps up or have a felt covering.

Another possibility, is that over the course of human invention and development (though it is implied that there could be extra-terrestrial life forms that would also possibly have invented all the same objects and effects as we have), something in the rise of industry and the sheer scale of production has caused single waves to splinter. That would explain why these mass-produced items like Bobby, Rebel, and the Hanks say that they are one of many but somehow not like the others. We get similar indications from Freddy who mentions siblings who are other models of refrigerators; Betty, who mentions remembering us picking her specifically out of the other mattresses at the store/warehouse (if Betty was every bed, then it wouldn't have mattered which one we picked [although, this could be Betty trying to initiate a more romantic dialogue with the player]). For that matter, Betty is "the bed," but she specifically mentions her being the mattress, not the pillows, comforter, frame, etc. And this is vastly different from Dorian who is just every door. From Able, who is just every table. Even Chairemy is just every chair... but these are objects that have been around for a much longer time. Rubber ducks, bobby pins, hangers, fridges, these are all things that came during or after the (in line with the setting of the game) American Industrial Revolution. The ability to make powers more of a single kind of object was not only easier, but expected in a capitalist society. And much like there are billions of humans in the world, each is unique in their own way... so who is really to say that the same couldn't happen with the waves of objects. In that fashion, it's possible that, like I discussed with Zoey, there could really be just a single wave that embodies a plethora of distinct personas, or waves are far more subject to splitting and changing than is established in the canon.