- I originally thought, based on the flower petals you find in his house and his alleged combat prowess, that the Mimigas had a slightly overly rosy view of Arthur's demise and what really happened is he was forced to eat too many flowers in order to fight the Doctor, lost, was warped by the Crown and became the Red Demon; a fellow troper pointed out evidence to the contrary, but the flower petals still bugged me. It's unlikely that before he was killed, he was dropped in his basement and force-fed red flowers. But why would the alleged hero of the Mimiga village eat these things willingly? Especially if he was as ignorant as most Mimigas about what they really do? But then remember what the Doctor tells you about Red Crystal. It draws out one's latent powers, but also crushes one's faculties of reason. Doesn't that sound a bit like steroids meets phlebotinum?
- I figure several Mimigas have been dosing themselves with red flowers in small quantities independently of the Doctor's machinations. Arthur, for one, and probably also the one in the hanging house in Grasstown (because you don't even necessarily have to fight him, and what stake would the Doctor have had in dosing him so early?). Igor, too, though he's probably still a victim; the Doctor has a vested interest in keeping an eye on those eggs, and Igor's note on the computer sounds like it was composed by someone fairly rational, so the change to the form in which you meet him must have been recent. (He and Toroko also both shrink to their original size when you beat them, which, aside from indicating they were both dosed all-at-once, is more sympathetic than what happens to the smaller, nameless one in Grasstown, who has presumably been doing flowers for a bit longer and in a smaller total amount.)
- The fact that they're usually found scattered around beds (except in Arthur's case; he grew and used his flowers in the basement because he'd have had to conceal his habit from his sister) makes me think that they're highly addictive (one's bed is a personal thing, associated with a necessary and similarly personal habit) and that withdrawal is an absolute bitch (so habitual users are dosing themselves first thing in the morning). And it follows that the exact nature of the changes caused by the flowers is determined by how much you're taking, relative to your body, and if you've built up a tolerance- Igor is an adult Mimiga who had already been taking flowers for a while before the Doctor fed him the rest and hulked him out, so he gets the fully-increased size but is a bit of a pushover. Toroko has far less body mass, and she's never taken flowers before, so she turns into a serious threat.
- And remember how Toroko's eyes went deep red right before she hulked out? Did it never bug you that King, another excellent fighter (though still not a very tough one- Misery shredded him without even going into "battle mode", which is more evidence that Mimigas need red flowers if they're going to do any fighting at all), who occasionally acts in rather irrational ways (as pointed out by a similar but less comprehensive WMG below), is the only Mimiga we see with eyes of a different color, and that it happens to also be reddish?
- Word of God has confirmed that King ate red flowers, but he cooked them first; It gave him strength, but didn't turn him into a monster. It's quite likely that Arthur did the same.
- Cooking them weakens their effects, similar to parboiling food that's toxic when raw. So instead of hulking him out, it just made him marginally stronger than a normal mimiga, and instead of making him lose his mind, it just gave him anger management issues.
- Word of God has confirmed that King ate red flowers, but he cooked them first; It gave him strength, but didn't turn him into a monster. It's quite likely that Arthur did the same.
- Also note how the Doctor becomes red mist after you beat him. Now, who do we know that's also made of red mist?...
- HOLY SWEET ZOMBIE CRYSTAL DRAGON JESUS A ONE HUNDRED PERCENT PLAUSIBLE LINK BETWEEN TWO SERIES IN A WMG! RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVES!
- This also means that Professor Booster is quite possibly Dr. Andonuts.
- Also note that Curly didn't hear the message. She had to be told by Balrog about Misery's hand in creating the Demon Crown, which was part of the message.
It's unclear if the mushroom cured her or not, because other than filling in Quote on what she recalled, her only actions after that are somehow getting to hell, helping Quote in hell, and wanting to retire to a quiet location with her new friends once it's all over. Charging into hell in her damaged state probably isn't indicative of a clean bill of mental health, but with both legs broken it's unlikely she COULD have gotten there of her own volition, so it's non-conclusive, and the other actions are pretty justified.
- Well, it's possible that Curly is a prototype(as in not all the kinks worked out) and Quote is a production model. This also explains how she got to Sacred Grounds;maybe whatever superpower was running the Ridiculously Human Robots program was experimenting with Villain Teleportation. Since they were working on Villain Teleportation, the device ends up taking a massive toll on whoever uses it; hence why Curly is so beat up when you find her.
Since we don't know the Island's original altitude (which can't be that high, considering the Sakamotos landed a helicopter on its upper surface) nor its rate of descent (though the latter seems quite rapid in the endings), and because a time limit would make Sacred Grounds an even bigger pain in the ass, Pixel thought it best to invoke Gameplay and Story Segregation and give the player a timer, where In-Universe Quote would have an altitude readout.
- This troper is led to believe either the thought that Ballos created Balrog, or that Ballos and Balrog are related somehow. Hints for either include but are surely not limited to the following: 1. The first half of their name is the same, 2. Both are related to shapes: Ballos can change into a giant sphere, Balrog is a living rectangular prism with limbs and Bat Wings that could've been part of him all along or granted to him by Ballos at any time, or upon his creation, and 3. They both have designs around their eyes (Ballos has the "scar" lines going from above to below his eyes, Balrog has those pink rectangular lines going up and down his entire face past his eyes). They could either be related or Ballos created Balrog somewhat to his theme and image, but using a different three-dimensional shape. Balrog being created seems to be a more likely theory.
- Upon a second thought, perhaps Balrog is some extension of Ballos's personality, a part of him manifested into living form that harkens back to his days before he was sentenced to imprisonment. Balrog seems to get the short end of the stick at times (a slight hint to Ballos's treatment by the King, but not as severe obviously, i.e. in this case Ballos is in the King's position now while Balrog is helpless in what was Ballos's position back then) and seems to be picked on by Misery (him being her punching bag so to speak; isn't that what he was called in the credits?), which could be influenced by the Demon Crown's hold over both of them as willed by Ballos. He somewhat reluctantly (but consciously) helps Quote and Curly in the Labyrinth (yes I know it may have been just to spite Misery since she put him down there, but still), perhaps hoping that they can destroy Ballos and set that part of his spirit free, destroying Ballos and enabling Balrog to live in peace without Ballos and his deranged mind subconsciously affecting Balrog (i.e. when Balrog feeds Toroko the Red Flower with little outward concern), and of course hoping they can destroy the Demon Crown and freeing both him (and Misery) in a different way. If Balrog is an extension of Ballos yet has none of his memories and is just someone that was created and is being controlled by some psychic link, he also has less reason to stay behind with Misery and Jenka because all he knows now is that Quote and Curly destroyed both the thing keeping him (and Misery) around, and the bad influence of Ballos on his mind, and he wants to be with his twice-saviors. It also could explain why Balrog himself smashed his way into Hell to save Quote and Curly instead of/without Misery because he was doubly indebted to them. All of this can be reinforced by the fact that Ballos wants to die, so through Balrog is he helping bring himself closer to his desired death and freeing his tormented soul when he realizes that Quote and Curly may just be able to put him to rest.
- Possible further support: In the Nicalis translation, Balrog greets Jenka as "Auntie" at one point. Either Balrog meant it as an honorary title, or he regards Ballos as his father in some sense.
- While King has some anger issues, he doesn't seem bad enough to torture someone due to jealousy. Also, we know that Ballos did kill a lot of people, seeing as his chamber is full of human bones, and it's unlikely that the king wasn't among those killed.
- Then explain how the Sword evolves.
- It's also established in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann that Spiral Energy makes no goddamn sense. Hell, the term Spiral Energy is actually a substitute for the term A Wizard Did It!
- I guess that makes the black wind in the Real Last Cave and the Sacred Grounds the Anti-spirals influence?
- It's also established in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann that Spiral Energy makes no goddamn sense. Hell, the term Spiral Energy is actually a substitute for the term A Wizard Did It!
- And in addition, the Nemesis runs on antispiral energy, which is why it gets weaker when it levels up. It was also named Nemesis after the Spiral Nemesis. The goddess referred to in the description is also not a literal goddess. It's referring to Nia.
- Her Japanese name is "ミザリー, Mizarī" according to The Other Wiki. Anyone know if that translates to anything? I'm presuming the translator just swapped it to "Misery" because it looks and sounds nearly exactly the same.
- That's katakana, the Japanese syllabary mostly used for foreign words. It's meant to be "Misery", and those are the closest sounds they have.
- One must really wonder whether it’s a reference to Misery in some way....
- Perhaps her name was originally something pleasant like "Mystery", but with the creation of the Demon Crown and her soul being enslaved, "Misery" became more applicable? Perhaps to show how she had changed and/or the Crown had changed her? i.e., before the Demon Crown, she had a reputation as something of a do-gooder? So calling her "Misery" is a way of showing just how far she's fallen?
- * They could well be Maiar, to be precise.
- On the inventory screen, the Nemesis gun is referred to as a weapon from the goddess. What goddess?
- The Greeks had a goddess named Nemesis, a representative of divine retribution.
- On the Balcony of the island, there is a statue of a winged woman, who could very easily be Nemesis herself.
- Said statue also resembles Misery (albeit with wings), and appears to be holding a staff, like Misery and Jenka.
Clearly, the resemblance indicates that Misery (and therefore Jenka and Ballos) are related to the goddess Nemesis. - The involvement of a goddess of divine retribution also fits thematically—those who abused Ballos' power all came to bad ends. "Well, you reap what you sow."
- Actually, he's soap. Word of God even confirms it. Unless...all those things are...imperfect shadows of...soap?
- If you've played through the entire game, you'd know that the entire cast of Ikachan flew off to another planet, being heavily implied to be the world of Cave Story (especially being hinted at by Ikachan being on the ALIEN Medal). 'Nuff said.
- Or he could be so exhausted that the simply act of talking and handing the Booster 0.8 is enough for him to give the points.
- Perhaps if he has the booster he can use it to escape (which he feels he must to get you the equipment you need for your quest or something) and get some medical treatment (there's a supply station you can only access with the booster/machine gun nearby after all). If you meet him, he's lost both his means of escape (the booster) and since he's done what he feels he needed to (give you a vital piece of equipment) less motivation to try. For all intents and purposes he's dead and useless so he just accepts the inevitable.
- Sounds extremely plausible. The Booster jetpack apparently is his life's work (Heck, it's even named after him! Also, he worked on it for a long time.), and when Quote, as he thinks, needs it much more urgently than him, he gives it away, therefore can't finish it and thinking that there's nothing anymore for him to do for his cause, doesn't attempt to leave the pit.
- The "he escapes on the Booster" explanation doesn't hold water when you consider how he meets up with Quote if you didn't talk to him: he arrived in Mimiga Village by teleporter. If you take that same teleporter from Arthur's house to the Labyrinth afterward, you end up in the exact pit Booster fell into, which initially doesn't work if you examine it before getting the Booster. So, it's likely that if you don't get the v0.8, he repairs the teleporter, which, actually, could mean that he used spare parts from the v.0.8 to fix it. As for how he managed to upgrade it simultaneously...
- Alternatively, in the fan-made fourth ending, Professor Booster does fixes the teleporter with the Booster 0.8. It's possible that when Quote jumps over Booster, Booster decides to explore the area, find the teleporter, perhaps heal at the station above, etc.
- Sounds extremely plausible. The Booster jetpack apparently is his life's work (Heck, it's even named after him! Also, he worked on it for a long time.), and when Quote, as he thinks, needs it much more urgently than him, he gives it away, therefore can't finish it and thinking that there's nothing anymore for him to do for his cause, doesn't attempt to leave the pit.
Think about it. Quote (and Curly, for that matter) were built for the purpose of raiding the Island and destroying the Demon Crown. Why the hell would anyone make a battle robot even capable of having sex when it has nothing whatsoever to do with its intended purpose?
Given Quote is completely unable, that leaves the question of why you're left with Chaco's lipstick after the fact. Well, while not capble of sex per se, Quote is capable of making out. It's possible said Optional Sexual Encounter consisted solely of lotsa kissing, and when you have your arms wrapped around each other, it'd be easy enough to slip something as small as a lipstick tube in the other person's pocket.
Incidentally, at this point Quote (and the player) doesn't know he's a robot. Given he hasn't encountered any actual humans at this point, it might be he thinks at Grasstown he's some sort of Mimiga, if only because he can't think of anything else he might be. Which would explain why he would start making out with her in the first place.
- I've got an even simpler one: Quote just took the lipstick in case he needed to write something later on.
- There's also plenty of alternative uses for various robotic parts which Chaco would be able to figure out.
- The disturbing thing about that is, most of those things wouldn't even require Quote to be awake for them to occur. It's entirely possible he really just wanted to use the bed to regenerate health. As a robot, his "sleep" may simply be entering a state where all power is redirected from normal functions to self-repair, and it may not even be possible for him to wake up before the process is complete. He may also not have had the social skills to realize the implications of entering a stranger's house and climbing into her bed... and afterward, has no more idea than the player does of what the hell just happened. Possibly even less idea, considering he's an amnesiac robot who may lack the knowledge needed to put the context clues together. This situation can put Chako in a darker light, if you think about it too much. Though in her defense, depending on just how rabbit-like Mimiga culture actually is, it's possible that him showing up and climbing into her bed with no explanation, then not objecting when she follows him there, may have been genuinely interpreted as an invitation to "use" his body however she sees fit...
- Alternately Chaco got annoyed at a stranger sleeping in her bed and decided to play a prank on him by slipping her lipstick into his pocket and snuggling up next to him to make him wonder just what happened last night.
- If this is true, than the other mimigas made a huge mistake by letting him be the leader of the village.
- It's been confirmed that King has eaten cooked Red Flowers which lessen their effects, both good and bad. This combined with the current mess has him quite irritable.
Shortly afterwards, Misery found a reason to hope again: a girl robot in the Sand Zone who put up a darn good fight when Misery came to take away the mimiga children, and a boy robot who survived a fight with a red-flower-frenzied mimiga—two robots who now had a beef with the Doctor and who appeared to be actually strong enough to kill him. Due to her orders, Misery couldn't simply let them go, so she threw them in the island's trash heap rather than killing them, hoping the robots would stay put until she could find some way to use them against the Doctor. Quote and Curly attacking the Core was a possibility she never even considered; this attracted the Doctor's attention, and Misery was again forced to deal with them. Again, she half-assed it; instead of directly killing the two robots, she just flooded the chamber—an act that caused the Core chamber, and the exit from the Labyrinth, to reopen.
It's hard to say whether, during the boss battle, Misery deliberately threw the fight against Quote. Depending on the Doctor's orders, it's possible she was compelled to really try to kill him.
- Dear god... that gives me an idea for a fanfic! TO THE BAT-MICROSOFT WORD!
- Or, Mr. Little is a few inches tall and Curly Brace is a golden-haired, ridiculously human, killer robot armed with a gun that shoots lightning. It's entirely possible that he genuinely mistook her for some kind of goddess.
- It was mentioned by Jack (in an optional piece of backstory, see "The Great Hero Arthur Part 1" here) that Arthur didn't fully defeat the Red Demon, but just drove it back. Additionally, Arthur was (allegedly) killed by the Doctor's goons (whoever exactly did it) and not by the Demon. And to me, the Red Demon looks (and behaves) extremely similar to a frenzied Droll (those plantation trolls)...
- Though she is still submerged in water (or surrounded by water, if you dropped her in the cabin), so she will probably never get to wake up again, or in case of the cabin, be trapped there forever without any method of escape.
- As a direct sequel? Jossed, as Curly does not die in the canon ending. Could still be possible in a sequel set in an Alternate Continuity.
- The only other robots we've seen on the island look noticeably less human than Quote and Curly do, and several NPCs have presumably mistaken Quote for a human before Booster revealed his true nature. That is, Quote and Curly are unique in that they're Ridiculously Human Robots. They even wear human clothing. (Why would a combat robot need panties, anyway?)
- Not only do the scrapped soldier robots near the island core look nowhere near as sophisticated as Quote and Curly, but the damaged one who speaks to you before the boss fight does so in a purely mechanical fashion, as opposed to Curly — who talks and acts like a human. Quote and Curly can think, reason, and feel emotion, and seem to have free will, which sets them apart from the soldier team that attacked the island core room — it's safe to assume they're at least entirely different models from the soldiers. Combat robots shouldn't have empathy, they should be killing machines, and Curly's lines when you defeat her indicates that combat robots are heartless "mimiga butchers".
- Quote and Curly don't seem to have any built-in features that aid their combat ability. They fight entirely like humans do, wielding weapons in their hands and presumably all the equipment they use (like the Booster v0.8 and v2.0) are externally mounted/worn; thus, Quote can easily equip or unequip them at a whim, without needing someone to tinker around with his internal systems. The lack of things like say, Arm Cannons, Deflector Shields or anything of the sort makes it seem less likely that they're military robots.
- I always assumed that they *did* have Deflector Shields, given the sheer amount of punishment they can withstand. With the "Life Capsules" actually being spare batteries to keep the shield running longer while absorbing more hits.
- As indicated above, the incident with Chaco wouldn't be plausible for a combat-oriented robot as it wouldn't make sense to add that kind of "equipment" to a combat robot. But if we assume that the two weren't built for combat, it makes a lot more sense that they would.
- They could have been built with mixing with a human population in mind. They are scout robots after all, what if they needed to scout out an urban environment before a battle? This would explain why everyone mistook them for humans and their "other" functions as well as the lack of built in weapon or defensive systems.
- This explains the presence of Curly's Air Tank; as they would be working in the Waterways, both were provided a means of surviving underwater for extended periods. It's not implausible that Quote simply lost his along the way and Curly didn't realize this in the Core until after Quote passed out.
- It's also why Waterway Cabin has repair manuals for Curly and Quote, with specific sections for flooded systems. Why robots don't come with technical service manuals in memory spaces close to their operating systems, this troper really doesn't know. They simply accessed backups in Waterway Cabin.
Either whoever gave them the mission to defeat the Demon Crown's holder was really desperate for helping hands that he recruited two Waterway bots..or he realized their Air Tanks and knowledge of the aqueducts gave them the most crucial part of being a "Scout Robot": allow them to travel at high speed undetected to most any point on the Island and report back information.
- Does this mean The Master will become the villain if the sequel is made?
- Alternately, Booster was some manner of technopath wizard who tried to stop Ballos with each group of humans that came to the island for the Crown. He just never had success before because Quote was smashed last time.
We know that way back when, Arthur fought off the Red Demon and was hailed as a hero. Then he got his ass kicked by one of the Doctor's goons. We can also infer that Arthur, being a Mimiga, was only able to fight off the demon by dosing himself with flowers — but the flowers only make Mimigas tough, not immortal. (Quote certainly destroys the frenzied ones easily enough.) So after getting his ass kicked, Arthur is now stuck with the reputation of a true hero but the knowledge that if he returns he'll never be able to live up to that reputation again. What's better: live on and face humiliation, or "die" while you're a hero? And surely this Mimiga village is lacking... a king?
This explains why there's so much in-game discrepancy about Arthur's story, why there's nothing in-game about King's actual name, why King's eyes are so weird (residual flower effects), how King got that scar, why Arthur is the only Mimiga in the village to get and keep his own fancy house (with red flowers in it...), why he's so pissed at Toroko (who'd essentially be squatting there) and demands his key back, why he's so suddenly protective of a Mimiga that by all prior indications he absolutely despised, and why he goes down so quickly.
(And, yes, it's all based on you-know-what. Which, come to think of it, explains why King uses a sword!)
I've seen a lot of refutations of this, and none hold up. King looks sufficiently different from normal Mimigas post-dosing that it's plausible Toroko would think he's someone else; if Quote can put on a goddamn rabbit mask and fool everyone, surely King's entire body being 'roided up would also do the trick. Jack may or may not be in on it, but either way it doesn't affect much.
Jenka is a witch. She may have some powers of clairvoyance. The Doctor was the fourth holder of the Demon Crown, and since the game was made in Japan, Four is Death can come into play. Jenka sensed that losing the key would lead to the Core's destruction on top of the island. Knowing Ballos's great power, she started by making part of the Prefab House weaker than the rest so Ballos would accidentally cause it to cave in. The Sacred Grounds were made right underneath, and she made it hard to traverse so only the one who beat the Core could make it. The Heavy Press was created as a final test and put right above the floors in the first Passage that guards Ballos. Jenka then created the Iron Bond and, upon learning that a robot's house was where one of her dogs liked to go, gave the Iron Bond to the dog, who in turn gave it to Curly, who then gave it to Quote. Jenka seems to have a connection to Booster, as indicated by the credits. She went into the Labyrinth after Quote ignored him, healed Booster with a spare Life Pot, then magically completed the Booster 2.0. She gave the Prefab House a magic lock that automatically activated when the Core was destroyed and could be deactivated with the Booster 2.0 and Iron Bond, which she put magic key-like properties into. Quote unwittingly broke the spell when he went to the Balcony, and Curly entered immediately after the Core was destroyed. Quote then entered, traversed the Sacred Grounds, defeated the Heavy Press, then finally killed Ballos.
Of course, it's really more of an extra layer of security in case the magic seal fails, than the main thing keeping him there. She really preferred non-lethal containment for her brother if possible, and there's always a risk he could dodge it seeing as it only has one chance to hit him. But having it there was still seen as better than nothing in the event containment was breached.
Regardless, the fact that Quote had to defeat it in order get to Ballos coming from the other direction is merely a coincidence, since it wasn't there to keep intruders out, but to keep Ballos in.
- Grasstown: Quote defeats Malco in a Curb-Stomp Battle. After Quote leaves, Balrog comes to repair Malco. Malco tells Balrog how to make an explosive. Balrog heads west and gets a Jellyfish Juice. He does not find any Charcoal in Santa's fireplace. Meanwhile, Quote is exploring the eastern half of the area and arrives at a door labeled "Gum." He reports back to Kazuma, wondering if there's a key to the room in there. Kazuma gives him the Gum Key. Quote goes back to the door and unlocks it. Balrog has just tried and failed to open the locked door. When Quote gets the Gum Base, Balrog rushes in and Misery does not bother transforming him because Quote has not defeated his second form yet. But, Balrog does do some pre-battle blather about a bomb. Quote defeats Balrog with some effort and asks Malco about a bomb. Malco reluctantly makes Quote the bomb and Quote blows open the door. The game proceeds mostly as normal henceforth.
If player has not collected the Charcoal:
- Grasstown: Quote defeats Malco in a Curb-Stomp Battle. After Quote leaves, Balrog comes to repair Malco. Malco tells Balrog how to make an explosive. Balrog heads west and gets a Jellyfish Juice. He bursts into Santa's house and gets the Charcoal. Then he gets another Jellyfish Juice. Meanwhile, Quote has gotten the Gum Key from Kazuma. As Quote goes to get a missile expansion, Balrog bursts in and steals the Gum Key. Balrog goes over to the Gum door and gets the Gum Base. Balrog goes to Malco, has him make the explosive, and blows open the door. He takes Kazuma to the Doctor. Quote arrives just too late and Professor Booster comes and is horrified that Kazuma has been kidnapped.
- To be continued...
My theory is: 10 years ago, somebody from the surface finds the Demon Crown and tries to use it to rule the world or whatever. Quote and Curly were sent to stop him and managed to pull it off, killing the potential user of the Demon Crown (the Doctor finds the crown sitting on a skull in the throne room; that skull had to come from somebody). However, both Quote and Curly were badly damaged in the fight, Quote so badly so that it permanently impaired his ability to speak. This damage also left them with amnesia, which is why they don't remember anything. It also explains why Quote seems to remember less than Curly (though it's kinda hard to tell, since he never says anything); he took more damage, so he lost more of his memory. Quote even wears a scarf, something that could hide a gaping hole/weird robotic scarring on his neck.
When you first meet Momorin, she mentions something about taking her chances and working by the doctor's side — now, why would she do this? — up until the point he threw her off the island: "Chivalry is dead! But that's neither here nor there..." This is a weird thing to say — unless it's in a romantic context. It would also explain why Momorin drops the subject, as it is probably awkward, to say the least, to admit to a killer robot who is a stranger that you used to be hooking up with the guy who's about to destroy the Earth. Depending on when Sue and Itoh became Mimigas, this could also explain why the Doctor didn't change her — presumably he wanted a We Can Rule Together situation, then threw her off the island when she refused.
This incidentally also explains why Momorin's Halloween costume is the Bride of Frankenstein....
- I don't think that's a WMG; I think that's pretty much canon.
The timeline goes something like this: Long ago, monsters and humans lived together in peace. The monsters were native to a floating island, and the humans came from the surface. Monsters and humans could travel between these places as they wished. That is, until a monster called Ballos was imprisoned and tortured until he lost control of his magic and destroyed a city. This started the war between humans and monsters. However, the account told in Undertale isn't fully accurate; Humans didn't have any magic, but they did have Sufficiently Advanced Technology allowing them to create an army of Ridiculously Human Robots, and quickly forced the monsters underground. A force field was set around the caves, locking the monsters away.
Ten years later, a group of researchers came to the island, to get betrayed by The Doctor. He convinced them to disable the Barrier, and stole the Demon Crown, a medium for Ballos' uncontrollable power. Using the Red Flowers, he tried to create an army from the peaceful Mimigas. But, thanks to a pair of amnesiac robots left behind from the war, his plans were stopped. And even more, they managed to destroy Ballos, freeing the monsters from his influence. Then, for some reason, someone reactivates the Barrier on their way off the islandnote .
With Ballos gone, the Red Flowers lost their powers and their color (Becoming known as golden flowers), but retained a few supernatural qualities, allowing them to capture the essence of a dying Mimiga, or, as they became known later, Boss Monster, and gained sentience when the scientist Dr. Alphys tried using them as Soul Jarsnote .
Many years later, some humans settled on the island, having either forgotten the war or dismissed it as legend. A human child fell into the underground, since the now-ancient Barrier was starting to deteriorate. After a long, heartwarming, timey-wimey adventurenote , they and a restored Asriel destroy the Barrier with the power of all the souls in the underground, allowing monsters and humans to live together once again.
Curly Brace certainly acts...odd throughout the game. Her use of the Mimiga orphans as supporting fighters during her boss battle is pointless at best and insane at worst. In fact, it's illogical nearly every way you look at it.
The only reason she would put her surrogate children in danger like that is if she was drinking without time to actually rethink her plan.
The margarita sign over her home would make sense if the above is true. She could either have the alcohol formerly sold here/the alcohol she got herself in another room or have it where she stashes her panties. This way, when she's really drunk and away from home, she can simply follow the sign to her house.
Her impossibly cheery could also be a factor of her drunkenness. No one could be that cheery after their kids have been taken away while being stuck in an inescapable maze.
This also explains why the mushroom that cured her amnesia actually worked on her if she's a robot.
If batteries to recharge her (or something to that effect) were absent, then situations where only medicine is available wouldn't be useful for her to be Immune to Drugs.
This may also go forward to her reasoning not to go back to the island after the Golden Ending: she doesn't want to be an alcoholic. She assumes she would try to drink her pain away in mourning of her children. She figures if she stays with Quote and Balrog, then she'll be distracted from her grief and not go into a depression fueled drinking spree if she went back to the island instead.
Think about it. They're human enough to digest food and have memory cured by mushrooms and whatnot. They must at least have some human organs to be able to to that.
Ballos is missing an eye, there is a red gemstone on the crown. He crystallized his own eye to create it, imbuing his own magic into it as it is part of him, sending his own power into the crown itself, turning it into a conduit for his power. Because of his own immortality, even if the gemstone shatters, it will reconstitute along with the rest of the crown due to Ballos still being alive.
Both series feature magic, Plant People, Funny Animals, and Animate Inanimate Objects all coexisting with regular humans. Also, Rhythm Heaven (the location) is explicitly shown in Rhythm Heaven Fever to be a magically floating island with a few structures built on it, so both games share that as well. The real kicker though is the fact that Curly Brace looks exactly like MC Adore. The only difference is that Curly is shorter, but being a robot, it wouldn't be strange for her to get an "upgrade" that would result in a change in her height. The events of Cave Story's Golden Ending are probably what resulted in Rhythm Heaven's setting being a colorful, perfect paradise.