An Attempt at a DHMIS Timeline
Exactly what the title says. Most of this is speculation, though I’ve included bits of evidence here and there.
Also, keep in mind that I’m working off of this theory, which means we’re dealing with three different realities:
The Real World: Exactly like our own world, just filled with puppet people instead of humans. (Seen in the Kickstarter videos and the photographs in the Trio’s house.) Time moves normally here and follows the current date.
The DHMIS World, which is broken into two levels which influence each other. It is always June 19th, 1955 in this world. Objects can come to life here.
The Lower Level/the Fabricated World, which is nothing but a digital set being recorded inside of a television. (Seen in most of the series, especially 1-4).
The Upper Level, which is where Roy edits what’s happening in the Lower Level and watches the footage. (Seen in DHMIS 5 and 6).
???-June 18th, 1955, Real World: The Trio live out normal lives. This is where all of the photographs in their house come from.
June 19, 1955, Real World: The Trio are kidnapped by the Big Bad Money Man, as seen in the Kickstarter videos (note the time stamp, which changes in IS THIS THE END?). Roy then pays off the Money Man the same day.
This is why HELP #3 and IS THIS THE END? were removed - they both indicated a passage of time past one day, and thus were non-canon.
This is also why Roy is credited along with the Kickstarter backers in the credits.
This is why there are still missing posters everywhere siting the date they were last seen as June 19th.
June 19, 1955, DHMIS World: Roy then uses the kidnapping as an opportunity to put the Trio in the Lower Level, where he puts them through horrible things for his own amusement.
Considering Bird wakes up in a hospital, seemingly paralyzed, and watches his simulation self on the screen, it’s possible their Upper Level selves are drugged/asleep and controlling the Lower Level simulations subconsciously.
This would fit with Colin’s foreshadowing statements about how the Digital World works (”Virtually real, but controlled by real you!”)
Keep in mind that Roy represents us, the viewing audience, to some extent. Just like we paid the Kickstarter to free the Puppets knowing they were probably better off dead, Roy frees them but brings them somewhere far worse for entertainment’s sake.
In the DHMIS World time always stays at June 19th, 1955 as that was the date the world was created, and the events of the series last 1 “day” in DHMIS time. Out in the Real World, time moves normally, meaning that 1 “day“ actually lasted 61 years.
This is why the Trio have a modern-day laptop.
This is also why there are computers in Red’s Upper-Level office.
The events of the series occur over 1 DHMIS day. Red, after escaping into the Upper Level, breaks the illusion of the Real World and unplugs the Lower Level DHMIS World in an attempt to wake up his friends.
Red unplugging the machine effectively “reset“ the Lower Level. One “day“ in the Lower Level has now passed, and thus the date ticks forward one to June 20th, 1955, with the events of the previous day now repeating infinitely, each reset marking a new day.
Things keep repeating because the Puppets are now representing the new generation of people influenced by the media - which is why their colors have changed in their new “reincarnations“.
It’s unknown who’s currently controlling the Upper Level. June 19th was also a nod to Father’s Day, so it switching to the 20th could indicate Roy’s no longer in charge.
However, he also makes no attempt to stop Red from unplugging the machine, suggesting he wanted that to happen.
Red Guy’s made it obvious he’s trying to stop what’s happening, so the never-ending loop of events implies he’s not in control.
TL;DR: The Puppets were kidnapped on 6/19/55 and Roy paid off the kidnapper, then moved them into the DHMIS World. Each “day“ in the DHMIS World takes place over the course of about 50 years in the Real World, with the same events leading up to the DHMIS World rebooting playing out each time. The series showed the first “day“ in the DHMIS world passing since its creation.
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