An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
I don’t post much on this account, but I wrote a thing lately! Without spoiling too much, it’s a oneshot about Mettaton asking Frisk a question he’s had since they first met. If you read it, hope you enjoy!
Apartment Analysis. Pt 1 : ???? (Idk i might do more. this might be it)
Lyles Apartment.
Mentions of: Stalking, Mental Decline, Body horror and non physically violent forms of self harm.
I had this idea after the update,
the apartments in Look Outside are very interesting forms of environmental storytelling, if you know where to look and focus on what your finding. you can learn a lot about someone based off of their home. Lyle is what inspired this idea for me.
Adding a read more here, So my absolute WALL of text doesn't just pop up on anyone's feed <3
Lyles apartment is often joked and memed about in the fandom, and for good reason, i mean its. its just Weird as all hell. As a Lyle fan myself I've memed on it too lol
But genuinely his apartment is interesting to deep dive on.
His apartment, His items and of course his character are what i'll be diving into today.
When walking into Lyles apartment nothing seems too out of the ordinary. (Void the meat mold but that's normal here)
Cheap Apartment, owned by someone with low-income.
Just like nearly every apartment in the game.
(Above: lyles apartment Pre: 2.3 there have been some changes since then.)
But the more you dig and the more you look the more concerning and even disturbing his apartment becomes. much like Lyle himself.
Note how empty his apartment is. Truly there is Nothing really here. Empty bookshelf, Empty kitchen, His table has nothing on it (The M&W book pictured here has been moved to his room)
No decorations, the lights are completely off.
His TV is off center and just, There's really nothing here.
Only Purocare (A cleaning agent)
And A Booklet of word searches. Lyle's only current form of entertainment (Trust me, this will come back later)
Lyles fridge (Not pictured) Is oddly enough what inspired me to make this.
I know that sounds silly... and it totally is!
but i just cant get it out of my head.
Lyles fridge Has an egg salad sandwich, Leftovers and Rotten leftovers.
Lyles fridge, oddly enough. should tip you the player off, that somethings not right with him.
(Other than Lyles own demeanor of course)
Every other fridges within the apartments are relatively full with actual food. Meats, veggies, pizza, pizza bites, Tv dinners. But Lyle's is more or less just leftovers, a good amount of which have been left to rot. Said rotten leftovers barely heal anything and have a chance to poison you.
Now lets go off into Lyles rooms. Well go from least to most "Offensive"
The Storage Room.
Within this room there is D-Clogger (A dangerous cleaning agent) A broom, Antidote and Junk.
It could be safe to assume the Clogger and Antidote are used in Lyles photography to de-clog pipes/drains and to cure himself of burns or self poison.
probably the first thing everybody notices is Lockjaw, the Dog/Monster/Creature over there.
Lyle himself states the following about it.
its a meat world critter that found its way out somehow, or it was a dog or animal of some sort that found itself in the meat world then back out, forever changed. I can imagine Lyle fighting or running away from it and locking it in the storage room.
What i REALLY wanna mention is lyles safe in the corner there.
Within that safe is 120$ and Jade earrings.
Ive seen these earrings in discussion a little bit before when it comes to lyle and i find the speculation around them very interesting.
One could say its just there for fun. its an RPG after all, random things are everywhere.
One could say lyle stole them from someone, Sam? Another person? a small nod to Lyles weird urge to take and hide?
Ive seen people head cannon that lyles old friends or family gave him those earrings as a gift or heirloom. That for one reason or another they arnt around anymore. and lyle would rather not look at them.
Ive seen others interpret it as lyle hiding himself away.
That lyle wants to be more "Out there".
To feel more "Himself" pretty or fancy wise.
A more flamboyant queer man perhaps?
A drag queen even?
Ive seen some people head cannon Lyle as a trans Man Or woman.
Hiding away this old part of himself
Or Hiding away what She wants to be
Any option above works here:
Pretty, expensive earing's Never worn out of fear.
and they'll never will be worn.
Lyles Bathroom
The one the only: LYLES WIERD ASS BATHROOM!!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously WHAT. Its, its deffinetly there. thats for sure.
Within this bathroom there is Soap.
Medicell and Balm (Used to disinfect and heal burns : once again can be easily implied to assist lyle in his Photography.) and another antidote
And of course. Anxiety medication. (once more. we will circle back to this later.)
Eyecluster is here. Lyle has this to say about it.
Simple answer for a simple guy. The change too floor one caused a hole connecting the two. (or that entrance was always there) and it wandered up from there.
His bathroom is notably elongated, and his bathtub even more notably so.
The question is: Why?
Ive seen tons of takes as to why because i mean, Just look at it.
Ive heard that the true answer here is that a boss was meant to be in there. just a long guy in a long bathtub. However it wasn't implemented into the game.
Fandom answers/Headcannons I've seen are:
Leighs Hallway chase effected lyles bathroom, elongating it the same way it elongated the hallway.
Another one ive seen is that the weirdness of floor one seeped though here, as its way down is though here as well.
personal Headcannon of mine, is that lyle felt sick during his transformation, and went in here to vomit or wash his face.
However due to feeling "Sick/Out of it" the journey felt longer.
the visitor doesn't just effect peoples perceptions of the body and mind. but of their spaces and the very complex as well.
Lyle felt like his bathroom was long.
so it became long.
Sam also has this to say about the shower:
Other showers simply have the text "you don't feel safe showering here"
Of course there's a corpse of a monster here, and the entrance to one if not THE most dangerous floor in the complex.
But maybe just the entire vibe is off too, that's possible.
This place is dark and eerie, mold or grime could just be apparent here.
Lyles bedroom
(Lyles bedroom. Pre 2.3)
I am the most excited to talk about lyles bedroom.
Lyles bedroom is overan with meat mold. Tumor head is present here.
Lyle has this to say about both.:
Lyles meat mold also has an entrance to the meat world. Maybe a nod to how Lyle was one of the earliest here to change. (very possibly the third)
The items within this room include:
Space truckers (a rare video game.)
Mazes and Wizards (A table top game (explaining the big table here) and one of lyles hyperfixations.)
(this item is also NEEDED in order to get lyles good ending in promise.)
The empty eating supplies here could maybe represent bedrotting or lyle choosing to eat in here rather than anywhere else.
And some unused batteries.
The mold here is interesting to me. As the meat mold could be implied to have been growing days before the apocalypse.
if so, Why didn't lyle call a service before?
Lyle could have just not seen it, too lost in his own head.
Lyle could have been a big ol procrastinator, too caught up in his own mind to care, putting it off instead.
Lyles very reclusive and overthinks. perhaps the idea of calling somebody, having to talk to a stranger on the phone and in person was just too much.
In all honesty, i feel its a mixture of all of them.
ultimately this leaves lyle completely locked out of his bedroom. with no way of getting into it without sams help.
A video game
and lyles one form of healthy escapism (M&W) locked away from him.
also his bed.
where does lyle sleep???.
One could say the couch but hes awfully big.
and every floor within lyles apartment is Hardwood or tile.
every single one.
I suppose lyle could sleep with his top half on the couch and his bottom half on the floor. that or lyle just sleeps on the floor and the floor alone.
Perhaps lyle doesn't sleep, One could headcannon that cursed people have a hard time sleeping or don't need to as much (Looking at Hellen as a prime example)
The Darkroom.
a room that truly lives up to its name.
The darkroom is the most mysterious and important part of lyle discussion as a whole. And for good reason.
its a cold reveal that shows you how deep and twisted lyles mind really was.
along the wall and the table are photos of sam.
(Most likely used with the zoom lens barrowed by Edwin) Then again, some could be even older than that.
One photo id like to note is the photo of sams door. and his door alone.
One of my favorite interpretations of this photo is that it shows just how spineless Lyle is.
that lyle was right there, he could have knocked, Sam might be a little weirded out, sure. but they'd still talk.
They were both very very lonely people.
but lyle didn't knock.
he took a photo and left...
and of course, the most upsetting and disturbing item in here.
Sams spare apartment key.
The item that many discuss when it comes to lyle. and the item we will never get a clear answer on.
lyle stole this key, But what was the intent behind it?
truly, the intent doesn't matter of course in terms of the theft and serious boundary breaking, but its interesting to speculate.
in terms of lyles potential mindset.
Finding it in the hallway
and using it as a "talking point" planning to give it back just to talk??
or was it simply too break in?
Was lyle too cowardly to actually do it?
or did he?
personally i dont think lyle ever had the guts to enter sams apartment, too reclusive and antsy of a guy.
i personally believe this, as it makes lyles recruitment more impactful
(At leats IMO)
lyle uses the key to break in for the first time. One last messed up broken boundary out of delusion, impulse and mania.
but the trapper has become trapped
the spider is caught in its own web.
lyle cannot run off to hide, there arnt enough rooms, there are too many people. he cant go home, sam isn't there and Sam has allowed him to stay here. thats an honor.
But sams apartment lights are on.
there are no dark corners to hide here.
Then again- his intense manic side is well... Intense. so who knows.
That's what makes it scary. but also what makes it fun.
We have no idea,
and we never will have an idea because-
the only way to enter this room is by killing lyle.
Final talking points:
I have a few things id like to point out and connect in terms of all this and lyles character.
-The all consuming "Hobby"-
Lyles obession toward sam consumes him.
i mean he fuses with his camera equipment because of it.
how much more literal can it get.
but i feel this shows in lyles apartment aswell,
Lyles apartment is nearly empty, He leaves food to rot, he eats in his room (or used too) His room is overcome with mold and his bathroom probably issnt in great condition either.
But his darkroom, Though messy, is much fuller, much more orgenized.
lyle doesnt care about himself
His diet, his sleep, other hobbies or things even.
Its the photos. that's what makes him "Happy"
but its also actively hurting him
Through lack of Diet, Sleep and Other less destructive "Hobbies"
-All For Sam-
remember how i said the anxiety meds and Word search would come back?
well here we go.
Sam can grab and take any items he wants in the game, the game lets you but it also tells you "You know you ARE stealing right?"
But idk... it feels odd when we steal from lyle.
because of what we steal.
Sam can take the word search : Lyles one and ONLY form of entertainment right now. The tv stations dont work and lyles game in stuck in his room.
Sam can take the money and jade earrings: We speculated that those earrings might be important. and thats just bros money.
Sam can take Lyles meds: The clearly unstable very on edge, -might snap at any moment- mans meds.
And lyle lets him, He lets him with a smile on his face.
Sam might need that booklet more.
sam could use the money and earrings more.
Sam could need the meds more.
Lyle lets sam take his rare video game, and his mazes and wizards book.
and remember: that book is needed for lyle to get a good ending here.
that book is the opposite of lyles photography.
its a healthier form of escapism, of comfort.
using fiction instead of real people.
lyles questline is a questline where lyle learns more about sam, starts to see sam as less of a comfort item and more an actual person. it lets lyle be social with people OTHER than sam, which is even more important.
lyle sees himself in the mirror, or rather on the page.
he sees the unseen hurt hes caused, and acknowledges it, makes steps to change it.
That one item can change lyle for the better.
that very item is arguably the one "Good" thing lyle has.
and what does lyle do to it, if sam tells him he doesn't like it?
this permanently locks you out of lyles questline.
Lyles mentality toward Sam is that of over "affection" that of admiration, an obsession to hold to covet, to view to muse, to appease. even though twisted means.
I feel the fact that lyle is a STM attacker is maybe another example (Though this is for sure me over analyzing here.)
Lyles STM attacks are incredible, He has a hefty STM which matches their costs well. balances with the fact hes slow and his physical attack isn't the best.
you refuel STM with drinks.
and the drinks the replenish the most STM?
alcohol and heavily caffeinated drinks
i don't think i have to say why this is a bad idea but i will anyways-
making the anxious, mentally ill very unstable man on SSRIs whos also a monster, drink things that will fog his brain and or quicken his heart beat, is probably gonna make his and/or your life a living hell for a few hours.
But if sam asks for a flash or a big ol chomp.
Lyles more than happy to drink up. even if it Hurts.
-Three obsession's, three endings-
Lyle has three major obsessions and i interpret them to kind of represent the three "endings" lyle can take.
Lyles Obsession toward Sam: lyles optional boss fight.
Lyle finally crosses the line,
he becomes the monster hes written about,
he snaps.
The game over where sam is trapped away as a literal item of affection, and lyles guilt slowly overtakes him
especially when lyle eventually losses sam.
It DID last longer, But it didn't last forever.
an impulsive move lyle can never take back.
either that or sam kills lyle here, and finds the darkroom.
Lyles Obsession toward Photography: Lyles Bad promise ending.
Lyle joins sams team but after the visit, he hides himself away again, More than before.
did guilt and shame overtake him? perhaps.
the game states that he only ever leaves his room to take photos.
are these photos of sam? of the other apartment dwellers? Are they just.. plain photos?
It doesn't matter, Lyles not even locking himself away in his apartment anymore, its his darkroom.
the room of manic impulses, of Unhealthy "comfort",
of a harmful cycle, Of guilt and self hatred, Of untouched harm.
the red light of addiction.
and he doesn't leave.
Lyles Obsession with Escapism: The M&W questline, good promise ending.
Lyle runs and hides away, no matter where he is. When recruited he is forced into an environment where that is harder, where it might even be impossible.
His questline is that of risk. the risk of knowing, the risk of being known.
He doesn't even know hes creating his own "exposure therapy"
He is being himself here, In front of sam, in font of complete strangers.
And hes having fun.
When lyle realizes that the villain and himself have a little too much in common he starts to break character ever so slightly.
He doesn't want to be "Zalmoxis", But hes already kind of on that path.
i think When lyle talks about Zalmoxis at the end of the questline
hes actually talking about himself.
lyle gives up photography, it was a fun hobby at first but its caused too much harm now. to sam, to bystanders, to lyle himself.
He gives it up despite it being fused to his body,
Despite it being a literal part of him.
hes still hyperfixated on sam, something that deep doesn't just go away overnight, but a fixation is a little bit better than unhealthy obsession.
one step at a time...
He has made friends, he has opened his world, He is willing to look at himself in the mirror, one day maybe even take the cloak off.
Anyways that's all i have for now. i should probably sleep.
If you've read all of this or have gotten this far. Heres some lyle doodles as a reward. (Crummy reward i know.)
