Clone Society
As a result of the alien Occupants' arrival on Earth, most of humanity has died. One immune and immortal teenager, Iris, cloned herself and gave those five clones, five different functions. This became the foundation for a far-future society of clones. This society is what remains of humanity in the aftermath.
History[edit | edit source]
Clone society exists in a place called The Orchard. The Orchard is part of the Pacific 50 – a large, futuristic generation ship with flight and submersible capabilities.
Before it was called "The Orchard", the area was called "The Guarden", and it was the living and science testing facilities of a group called The 50, whose mission was to preserve what was left of humanity. The 50 brought Iris Kwan onboard to study her immunity to the Occupant disease, conducting experiments in attempt to replicate her immunity, and cloning Iris to have more test subjects.
By experimenting on Iris, The 50 rapidly advanced cloning technology – producing cloning chambers that were capable of birthing adult clones with implanted skills. However, the experiments performed on Iris were highly traumatic and invasive, to the point that Iris made a deal with an Occupant for "everyone to fucking drop dead", so that she could be free of the abusive environment she had been stuck in for 30 years.
Alone in the Orchard, Iris eventually created five clones from her hair, gave them a function and a purpose, and spent the rest of her time raising them and keeping her Occupant satisfied. When the Youngest shell tried to create a clone of Iris’s old friend Jiao, Iris grew furious and killed the Jiao-clone.
As could be seen in the Chapter 7 flashback, Iris took the other sisters with her to the Other Side and left Youngest in the Orchard, intending to teach her a lesson. Whether Iris intended to come back or not did not matter, as Youngest was left with the order to keep making clones until they were perfect, and so she did.
Over the centuries, Youngest reshaped herself into Principal and founded a society of these clones, full of religious reverence towards Iris (known as the ALLMOTHER to all else). With Principal as the only guiding leader, she was able to create and perpetuate myths about their creation and the ALLMOTHER – for instance, all clones believe that they are created from the hair of the ALLMOTHER directly, not Principal.
Clone Society[edit | edit source]
Each clone starts out as a "shell". When each shell is born, she is given one of the five colors that corresponds to the original five sister’s colors. All shells are taught about their place in society and about the ALLMOTHER, through a poem told during “storytime.”
Each of the five colors has a leader, known as a Shapen Sister (or just Sister) who oversees one of the corresponding six functions on the Orchard.
- Watcher - observe and study
- Fixer - maintain and repair
- Knower - archive and catalog
- Healer - mend and remedy
- Bang Bang Fire - protect and defend
- Principal - lead and administer
The sixth function, Principal, does not have any shell subordinates; there is only ever one Principal-type at a time. While Principal initially informs Watcher that Principals are chosen from any pre-existing Shapen Sister, this is later proven to be a lie – there has always just been the one Principal.
The Sisters are also meant to mentor and teach their subordinate shells and shape them ever further. Their entire world is the Orchard, which they believe to be an underground bunker, safely hidden away from the scorched red wasteland left behind by the Occupants. Every shell’s ultimate goal is to eventually ascend to the surface and join the ALLMOTHER in the fight against the Occupants.
The only way to do this is for a shell to graduate into a Shapen Sister, and then perform their function faithfully. If they are diligent and dutiful, then their reverence is recognized by the ALLMOTHER and a train is called for them. They board the train alone, and it takes them to the Other Side.
Iris-type clones typically refer to each other as "sister". Iris herself also refers to her clones as "sisters" rather than "daughters".
While the clones are replicated from the same genetic source, given that they are asexually-reproduced clones who come out as adults, the term "sister" in the context of the Orchard's society doesn't exist in the same literal context as our modern society, where child-raising and family systems and connections are still a thing.
Of note is how familial terms have historically also been used across many cultures (including Chinese cultures) to signify in-group comradrie – especially in religious settings, of which the clone's sisterhood is one.
It's also possible the term "sister" became common lexicon because clone society was founded by Principal, whose only point of reference for "how members of a society relate to each other" is her sisters. However, the society around her has changed drastically since then.
Daily Life[edit | edit source]
Shells live in apartments in Old Town – the 50's former "Asiatown" entertainment center – located beneath the Orchard. Shells come up to the Orchard to perform their color's functions, and for social engagements.
Purple shells go to the library to help Knower curate the library, study, and take tests; pink shells help Healer administer healthcare and run the cloning machines; Orange shells perform military and combat training (as well as BBF's wellness exercises); green shells help Fixer maintain the Orchard’s various mechanical systems. Blue shells observe the world around them; they’re often seen with shells of other colors.
When not working, clones can enjoy any recreational activity that the Orchard provides. They can relax in the garden, paint pictures, and even perform plays. They can also unwind at The Lounge and The Bar, where they can drink and dance the night away.
Clone Biology[edit | edit source]
The clones are born from a mixture of “organics, synthetics, and hair.” Though clones were created from humans, their physiology has some minor differences from humans of the past. With one exception, clones are not immune to the aerially-dispersed Occupant disease, and thus cannot take off their masks. Because of this, clones get their nutrients through fluids via injections. Clones don’t produce solid waste, and they don’t menstruate.
The clones are born as fully formed young adults, and like Iris, they do not appear to age, nor can they die from old age. The only external sign of a clone aging is their hair going grey, however some older clones (such as Knower) choose to dye their hair. Clones only die from external sources like disease or bodily trauma; otherwise, they can live for centuries.
When a clone does die, their bodies are processed through incineration. This is likely due to a combination of preventing the spread of disease, and not having enough room to bury their dead. Regardless, the concept of burying the dead is disturbing to the shells.
Clone Religion[edit | edit source]
The shells worship the ALLMOTHER as a holy figure. She is not just their genetic template; she is an all-powerful, all-knowing, compassionate deity. She is the opposing force fighting the Occupants, and being called to the Other Side to fight alongside her is an exalting honor.
ALLMOTHER's birthday is treated as a holiday, and shells greet each other by saying "happy birthday," as though they all share the same birthday with ALLMOTHER. They celebrate by decorating the Orchard in balloons and streamers, and wearing party hats. They bake and cut a ceremonial cake on this day, but because they cannot remove their masks, they do not eat the cake.
The ALLMOTHER’s will is absolute and her words are revered as sacred. Her poem is their most sanctified of texts. It describes the ALLMOTHER’s ultimate dream of defeating the Occupants and restoring Earth to it’s former luster, the Ancient Sister’s Sin, and ALLMOTHER’s reward for a shell that performs her function faithfully.
Hekki ALLMO poem[edit | edit source]
Several lines from the Hekki ALLMO poem are incorporated into the society’s everyday vocabulary. They’re considered words to live by, mantras to be studied.
Hekki ALLMO blue to red
Mask and bunker shield our head
Allmother's dream from red to blue
Then sisters walk the earth anew
Hekki ALLMO six to one
Each sister's function to be done
If function faithful sisters be
Allmother grant immunity
But ALLMO hekki love to hate
A sin does not incinerate
An ancient sister mother crossed
Allmother's grace forever lost
ALLMO hekki hate to love
That sister's sin we are made of
From shell to sister, hair to hair
Cut it down from sphere to square
Each shapen sister her domain
Watch her, know her, heal her pain
Fire, fix what was profaned
And hekki ALLMO once again
Studious Shell encourages Watcher to analyze the Hekki ALLMO poem with her, each time they meet in Chapters 2 - 4. Here are her analyses:
| Line | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| Red to blue | STUDIOUS SHELL: ...it has SO many resonances! The glowing red bodies of the Occupants and the scourge they brought to the surface...the many colors of you sisters... The ALLMO's dream of blue skies and breathable air...
It's amazing how many different meanings you can pack into just two little words! (ch. 2) |
| Six to one | STUDIOUS SHELL: Six sisters: Principal, Fixer, Healer, Knower, Bang Bang Fire, and Watcher... All to serve the one...our great ALLMOTHER... I take it as a rallying cry for our collective effort!
[...] (to Watcher) You six, and all of us shells...are made FROM the "one," as well! And yet we never say "six from one" or "one to six." She doesn't draw attention to the gift of life she gave us...she only asks that we offer our service! (ch. 2) |
| Hair to hair | STUDIOUS SHELL: ...it is a reminder to pay attention to the even the smallest detail. And a reminder that everything that came before us...is passed down through us... Including the Ancient Sister's sin...
Although...how that came to be is a bit of a mystery... After all, it is the ALLMOTHER's hair from which we were created! (ch. 2) |
| Sphere to square | STUDIOUS SHELL: A sphere...it could roll or bounce any which way...leading a sister astray. A square... it has sharp angles and flat surfaces...it stands strong in it's place.
But today I just realized...a sphere is a three dimensional object, and a square is only two! The cutting away of a whole dimension of ourselves...that is how focused we must be to serve our purpose! (ch. 2) |
| An ancient sister mother crossed | STUDIOUS SHELL: Strange wording, don't you think? Who crossed whom? Just kidding! It was obviously that sinful Ancient Sister. The ALLMO just had to get creative to preserve the rhyme scheme, right? (ch. 3) |
| Allmother's grace forever lost | STUDIOUS SHELL: Try saying the line over and over, as if you were the ALLMO herself, writing it on the page. [...] Do you feel it? Less mad, more sad. After she was betrayed, do you think she was lonely? (ch. 3) |
| Each shapen sister her domain | STUDIOUS SHELL: At first glance, each sister has her own domain, right? But could it also mean that we are Her domain? Or Her domain is ours? Why would the ALLMOTHER leave space for so many interpretations?
I believe she intended all of them to be true! (ch. 3) |
| Hekki ALLMO | STUDIOUS SHELL: "ALLMO" is unequivocally the ALLMOTHER. But "Hekki..."
A greeting. A goodbye. An exclamation! One little world with no real meaning...yet, in the same breath, means everything. (ch. 3) |
| ALLMOTHER's dream from red to blue | STUDIOUS SHELL: Dream! Yes, dream. Not "wish." Not "edict." Why dream? Is walking the earth anew simply a dream? Something to float on in slumber, never to touch our reality?
...and here the blue sister stands before me. Does that mean we're being dreamed of right now? (ch. 4) |
| A sin does not incinerate. | STUDIOUS SHELL: Ohhh...you ever notice how the word "incinerate" has the word "sin" right inside of it, if you say it out load? You can hear the sin right there, sizzling in the flames. Incinerate. Incinerate.
Or wait...a sin does not incinerate...does it mean that sins themselves do not incinerate? That they are perhaps not as terrible as we believe them to be? OR...could it be that sin cannot be incinerated, because incineration contains sin? Is incineration itself sinful? (ch. 4) |
| ALLMOTHER grant immunity. | STUDIOUS SHELL: Immunity, yes. From the disease, of course...but I've also read, immunity can mean other things... An exception! An exception to a law, or a punishment, or a penalty...
Could it be? If we function faithful...we'll be exempt of the crimes of the Ancient Sister? That would be such a relief! (ch. 4) |
| Then sisters walk the Earth anew. | STUDIOUS SHELL: That's right, "Earth." Not "surface." Not "ground." Why Earth? The whole of it. As if she were looking down at it while she wrote it.
Could it be? What if we're far away? Gazing back at Earth from a distant point? (ch. 4) |
Despite being referred to as ALLMOTHER's poem, this poem was likely actually written by Principal, due to referencing six sisters, not the original amount of five that Iris created.
After ALLMOTHER[edit | edit source]
After the murder of the ALLMOTHER, the sisters' way of life changed rapidly. There was a period of mourning and social unrest, as sisters demanded retribution against the murderer.
Amidst the power vacuum, Principal took control of clone society and revised the Orchard's existing social systems. She established a provisional government with six ministries to oversee the Orchard.
The Provisional Government[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Provisional Government
Principal's new order, called the Provisional Government, is helmed by six ministers:
- The Minister of Culture: While they oversee art and most cultural functions, the act of creating art is handled by Principal directly.
- The Minister of Education: Unlike the Knowers of old, this ministry Prioritizes "new" knowledge and looking towards the future. They view the old text of the ALLMOTHER as esoteric and regressive, and all the ancient human knowledge as useless nostalgia.
- The Minister of Infrastructure: As the Fixers did, this minister maintains infrastructure, handles logistics, and oversees repairs.
- The Minister of Health: Like the Healers before them, they are in charge of the cloning chambers. They now produce clones faster than before, also creating Jiao-type clones. However, they have stopped pursuing research into the "immunity project".
- The Minister of Defense: An offshoot of the Bang Bang Fires, this ministry responds to external threats to the Orchard. Internal policing is left to the Red Guard, though they do collaborate when necessary.
- The High Minister, Knower, reports directly to Principal and personally oversees the internal police force, the Red Guard.
While most of the ministries share their predecessor-colors' functions, the Watcher-type has been abolished. There is also now a new class of shells with no color, called "Miscellaneous".
Miscellaneous Shells[edit | edit source]
Miscellaneous shells are a lower caste of "functionless" shells under the Provisional Government's new order.
Miscellaneous are restricted to living in Old Town. They have their own self-contained society with lower quality goods, and many resort to smuggling goods in from the upper level. Miscellaneous are constantly under surveillance from the Red Guard. Any deviation from the expected is met with force. The Old Town exit is guarded 24/7.
The only way for a Miscellaneous to leave Old Town is to be chosen to ascend to the surface and be part of the Provisional Government. The Miscellaneous is given a function and integrated into society, though they may keep their name, and they may swap colors as often as they like until they find one that suits them.
Cultural Changes[edit | edit source]
Some changes to the clone's society include the introduction of names – previously, clones did not have names. Now, clones go by their numbers (presumably, the number corresponds to the order in which they were printed), until they are ready and choose a name for themself. These names are not dependent on one's function; most of these names are modern human names in English.
A new calendar system was also implemented in this new "era", with the signifier AA (After ALLMOTHER).
Speech was encouraged to be straightforward and plain. Referencing the Hekki ALLMO poem in speech was no longer common, especially amongst newer clones – it was viewed as old-fashioned at best, and insubordination at worse.
The Ministry of Culture also attempted to revise the HEKKI ALLMO poem for "the modern era". However, the attempt was met with disregard by many. The draft of the poem revision was eventually stuffed in the Library's archive. To access it, Blue has to provide her number for the record.
| Old (before AA) | New (AA) |
|---|---|
Hekki ALLMO blue to red |
Hekki ALLMO all is red |
Gallery[edit | edit source]
- Hekki ALLMO slideshow
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- The "Hekki" greeting originated as a typo from Remy Siu (1 of the developers), who was trying to type "Hello" into a Slack message. It became a running meme among the dev team, and then got incorporated into the game's lexicon.[1]
- It is unknown why the Fixer is colored white and Knower colored green in the Hekki ALLMO slideshow. We tried asking the dev, and the reply we got was "no comment on this one 🙂", so it remains a mystery.[2]