lonevisionary

[lonevisionary]

you are dying.

it was inevitable.

someone hands you something as your vision fades out. it is sturdy, yet malleable. something you have cradled in your arms. you have sung it lullabies and read it stories of insects.

you have held him as your own, despite the cruelty of your life. whatever remains of you cares about him deeply.

he is your son.

he is not real.

you are dead.

it is inevitable.

[lonevisionary]

currently recovering from an awful encounter SO I have something to say... BIG ramble incoming!!!

My confession is... I actually really wanna see stevenpeter content written from Peter's perspective. Like I get it's probably easier to do it from Steven's because we actually know how he feels about Peter and junk, but like, it would be SO interesting to explore how Peter would feel and how HE falls in love too. I mean maybe it's just me but I never really felt like that Peter outright HATES Steven like most people say, it's more of like, he's confused. He doesn't know what happened and he doesn't understand why he'd make that decision and that's obviously going to make him incredibly frustrated.

But I want people to recognize that they've suffered similarly. They do have things in common. They both suffer from a nearly unbearable guilt, wishing they could've been better role models. And I think it would be easier for Peter to see what Steven was going through and what he REALLY wanted, which was just. The opportunity to see him, and tell him that was he was sorry. They've been through a lot, and they both know that. And all he wanted was to let Peter know that he regrets what he has done and is actively seeking redemption, trying to be better... For him. And he wouldn't even let his soul be saved until he got the chance to do so, showing how much he cares. And honestly, I keep saying this all the damn time - But if they actually just had the chance to talk it out, they would have gotten along so well.

I mean, thinking about it, we all know, or SHOULD know how much Steven cares for Peter. And look, that's not just gonna be something to brush off. Peter is heavily dependant on others, and we've seen that plenty of times throughout the series. He keeps giving out extra chances, he puts a LOT of trust into others even if they seem suspicious, always hugs before a farewell, in fact, struggles with farewells, thrives on teamwork, all that stuff. He is a PEOPLE PERSON. For most of the part though, it's more of just like- He needs someone there. He needs someone who he can just cling onto without worry, a pair of arms to collapse in when needed. And as much time as it would take, I think that Peter would eventually learn to trust Steven a bit more and eventually realize how much he needs someone who just. Cares about him so much like that. It's usually HIM to has to take all of the responsibility and care for others, but gosh, just.

Having someone who wouldn't even let their own life be saved until they got the chance to see you... That's... Really something.

Like imagine he gets more comfortable getting closer to Steven, maybe lounging alongside him, leaning against him like a pillow, getting to squeeze his hand, staying a little longer as long as he's there. Muttering his leftover words under whatever breath he has, and just having someone who's willing to stick around and listen. Someone who cares. Someone he can TRUST. And Steven doesn't mind, cause y'know, he wants Peter to be content. And Peter is content when he just gets to relax around Steven. Over time, their silent time together would become less awkward and more.. Comforting, in a sense. They just need each other, and now they HAVE each other. And that's all that matters.

Basically, I think they should have the chance to get closer to one another and become inseparable. And trust me, I could go on about this for YEARS, but I don't wanna make this ask longer than it already is so!!! Thank you for coming to my Ted talk, everyone probably knows who this is already so idk why I'm going anonymous but yolo 🫶

:D

[lonevisionary]

The one detail in security breach that earns me back more goodwill (for the creative team rather the the product as a whole) than almost anything else is this:

After you manage all of the macguffins to go down into the old freddy fazbear's pizza place location, you start flipping on generators to light the place up, and it's as lovingly rendered in moldering glory as the rest of the game. It's beautiful, and the way you approach it through clouds of condensation and piles of rubble is perfectly cinematic, but that's not what makes it perfect.

It's the one lone security S.T.A.F.F. bot pacing in a eternal loop back and forth in front of the entrace. It's decrepit, shattered and dirty, but not exactly like the other trashed bots that have been repurposed and defaced.

And it just... paces. In a very tight loop, directly near the generator for the doors. It's almost imossible to avoid.

But even when it ineveitably catches the player, picks them up and shakes them, it doesn't call anyone over like the other S.T.A.F.F. bots. Who would come anyway?

A wordless warning, from unseeing eyes and an unspeaking mouth. You were not the first to find this. You were not the first to know. Others have tried, and failed. And still, there's already no going back. You press on.

It's such a little thing, but it does so much to make space for the history of this location. I don't even think it matters exactly who it is wearing the guard's uniform and holding the flashlight. I do think it matters that someone is still trying, despite everything, to hold the line.

[lonevisionary]

Dialtown short story - I am Mingus, Mayor of Dialtown (Chapter 1)

(This is the standalone chapter of a multipart story concept featuring Mayor Mingus' rise that I wrote as a warmup! This, ofc, takes place long before she gained a cat's face + her new name! If people like this, I can write more!)

Leaders are not born, they are made. Empires do not rise from sand, but when the time comes, they invariably tumble back into their dust. The day of self-made men, of heroic visionaries, has elapsed and we are what has grown in their ashes. Today is comprised solely of what's left.

In bygone days, LONG before Dialtown's streets were bestowed with a ceaseless inferno… Long before the arrival of a green messiah… The town was dragged back into the present by a lone visionary. An ancient tenet undusted. Once a promise, now an ultimatum. Tomorrow begins today.

A solitary beam of light illuminated the musty nursing home activity room. Slumped in his armchair, a metallic titan gazed longingly at the dancing particles of dust moving through the light coming from the window. The only source of motion in this still place. A creak seeped from the weathered door on the other side of the room and from the dingy expanse on the other side came a young woman dressed in purple.

She lingered in the doorway for a moment, before hesitantly stepping over to the seated man. The soft thud of her cane hitting the carpet punctuated every second footstep. Upon arriving in front of him, she leaned over him, laying a gloved hand over the limp metallic gauntlet sitting on his lap.

"Paw paw…" she whispered, her voice trembling slightly, "It's Michelle. I'm back." Michelle's grandfather didn't stir, his gaze still fixated on the ray of light coming in from outside. "I told you I'd come back." she added, squeezing the gauntlet as if she expected him to somehow feel it, "Don't you remember? I promised." "I've got a PLAN." she declared, raising her right index finger decisively, "A PLAN to get you out of-" Michelle trailed off, glancing over to the window, whose light gleamed against the golden trim on her typewriter head. She squeezed his other hand tightly, hoping to break his gaze.

"Hey, hey…" she muttered impatiently, "Never mind that!" Michelle hastily neatened her paw paw's suspenders and wiped some dust from his right arm. A soft but steady click sounded from the visionary's patchwork head, which finally turned to stare at Michelle. "…I've got something to show you!" she whispered in a hushed but fervent tone, eager to hold her paw paw's attention for even a moment more than usual.

"I found this in Maw Maw's belongings…" she added in the hopes that mentioning his wife would aid in retaining his fleeting attention. A gloved hand slowly left her right pocket. In it, a worn postcard featuring him, standing in front of a bustling city street amidst a crowd of avid supporters. A whole host of dreamers. She held out the postcard with both of her hands, her shaky grasp placing it just below his face.

"See?" she pleaded softly, "Don't you remember this?" His stare didn't adjust, leading Michelle to conclude that he wasn't really seeing it. She withdrew her left hand and placed it on his right arm. "This is YOUR town." she insisted, squeezing his arm as she spoke, "These are YOUR people!" Slowly but surely, his neck tilted downwards, so his dial could peer at the postcard. The titan's head twitched slightly, the rusted dial spinning laboriously as his gaze scanned the whole postcard, finally resting on the tabby sitting at the front of the crowd. Michelle slowly lowered the postcard, putting it back in her pocket, before then placing her right hand onto his left arm and leaning in close.

"I've got a PLAN this time, Paw Paw…" she whispered, caressing the side of his arm softly. The metallic man didn't stir. "There's an election coming up soon…" she added excitedly, hoping to regain his attention, "Soon… I'LL be Mayor." Crown's gaze drifted back towards the window, prompting Michelle to shake his arms slightly. "Just like YOU were." she uttered, before using her right hand to turn her paw paw's head back towards her, "We're going to RECLAIM what was once ours." Michelle's right hand drifted back to her paw paw's left arm while her left index finger trailed the side of his head, circling a large circular button. "And then…" she stuttered, "And THEN, I can get you the help you need." She paused, glancing temporarily to the window.

"Whatever it'll take for you to remember." She turned back to her grandfather, her hands now interlocked, as if pleading with a higher power. "YOU'LL put this town right." she declared, "YOU'LL breathe some life back into this tired old world." Her paws rejoined with his arms, gripping his elbows tightly. "We'll be a family again." she whispered, her voice now shaking along with her hands, "You'll see." A momentary silence permeated the room, broken only by the dim but reliable ticking coming from within her grandfather's head. "Hey…" she murmured softly, "I know you can hear me… I KNOW you're still in there." She gradually leaned forwards, bridging the distance between them, peering into the rusted dial on the metallic man's face, like a tiger peering out from a cage. "You can see me…" she pleaded, "…Can't you?"

Crown gradually rose in his seat, his elbows digging hard into the armrests of his chair. Michelle backed off slowly, her body slightly trembling as she saw his head shift, as if looking right through her. This was it, she thought. He can finally SEE me. But, before she could say anything, his head drifted to her right. Towards a busted radio sitting on a small table to his left. Crown slowly lifted his left hand and began clumsily fiddling with one of its knobs. "Is…" he murmured, clearly just thinking aloud, "Is the war over yet… I can never get a good signal on this thing-" Of course. He'll look at ANYTHING but me, she thought. Michelle darted over to remove his hand from the radio.

"Hey, HEY!" she spat, as she pried his hand from the knob, as if commanding a small child, "Never MIND that! You-" Just as his grasp slipped from the dial, Crown jolted to his feet with inexplicable speed. The sheer and sudden shifting of weight in the room from his mechanical body produced an effect not unlike standing on a platform as a train comes speeding by. The titan's gauntlet closed around his her arm as his other arm convulsed wildly, desperate to reconnect with the radio.

"He's FIGHTING for his LIFE out there, h-" Crown exclaimed, prompting a couple of burly phone-headed men to rush into the room. As the uniformed men struggled to force him back into his seat, Crown's ironclad hold on Michelle's arm suddenly released. For a moment, she was completely paralyzed, unable to feel anything but a searing heat coming from her trembling arm. Before she could speak, the worker who'd greeted Michelle at the door rushed through the door. She stood, arms-crossed, glaring.

"He's agitated." the receptionist muttered, "Visitation's over. He needs his rest." In her posture, Michelle saw judgement. "He's m-" Michelle murmured, barely able to vocalize. The receptionist interrupted her trembling voice. "You can come back." she dictated, pausing for several seconds before continuing, "Later."

Michelle, still shaking, had much she wanted to say. But, no words came from her head. Just silence. The room was deathly still again.

[lonevisionary]

Do you guys ever think about the process of dismantling Phone Guys and how utterly vile and dehumanising the very idea of it is : literally putting down people like dogs after depriving them of their dignity and identity, forcing them into a lifetime of abuse from their leaders and customers alike.

because i do.

[lonevisionary]

For all Fyodor’s praising of Dazai there is no doubt in my mind that if Fyodor saw Dazai in the state he is now.

Disheveled and panicked.

That Fyodor would feel nothing but disgust. That all his previous admiration would vanish and he’d remark that Dazai couldn’t ever hope to be his equal.

Or something like that.

Because despite knowing that everything Dazai does is for the Agency. That he got arrested for them and tried to kill Fyodor for them.

Fyodor doesn’t get it.

He doesn’t understand that level of compassion. That Dazai would could ever care so deeply for someone with no strings attached.

Fyodor has pawns and Dazai has allies. And it’s that characteristic more than anything that separates them both.

Dazai cares about the Agency with every fiber of his being.

The alliance with the PM was set up because Dazai trusted Atsushi’s judgement. He gave Kyouka a chance to join them when she was content to die.

His bond with Chuuya is many things and shallow isn’t one of them. But his bond with Fyodor is nothing but shallow.

Fyodor would never have given someone like Odasuku the time of day. But Dazai will treasure that man for the rest of his life.

And the way Dazai is acting now, his desperation and his fear painted so clearly for the world to see. Directly directly mirrors how Atsushi is feeling.

A behaviour that Fyodor looks down upon.

For a man that believes himself to be fighting for humanity, he doesn’t have any. While Dazai doesn’t believe himself to have any but his actions only prove it.

[lonevisionary]

Ensnared (A Dialtown short story)

A warm haze emanated from the lush, leafy membrane that surrounded a distinctive balcony in Washington, DC, the light barely permeating the dim stillness of yet another cool morning. Peering towards this rising gleam sat a man in a pale damson suit, the distant glint barely reflected on the surface of his metallic face.

The pervasive hush was cut short by a doorway opening behind the seated man, and from the doorway, a lean man wearing a worn bowler hat and a matching brown plaid suit emerged. The seated man didn't avert his gaze from the horizon, but shifted his posture, anticipating a conversation would unfold. The man in the bowler hat paced hesitantly towards his seated accomplice.

"Mornin', Cal." the man in the bowler hat murmured, his hushed voice almost a whisper, "You get much sleep?" "I got enough." Crown replied tersely. The man in the plaid suit remained silent for a moment, before fracturing the silence with another question. "You spoken to Marla yet?" he asked, his voice trembling ever so slightly. The seated man replied by finally turning to face his partner, raising the mug of coffee in his hand with a warm, but muted enthusiasm.

"The papers are talking about Hoover again." the man in the bowler hat added, his glance shifting towards the ground. The seated man flicked his left hand dismissively. "Let 'em talk!" he scoffed, "The man's yesterday's news. Folks'll move on once there's something else for 'em to talk about!" The man in the hat nodded hesitantly and another prolonged silence followed suit. Crown chuckled to himself, his gaze averted forward yet again.

"Y'know, Milt... It's the funniest thing." the metallic man stated, "I came out here not twenty minutes ago and while I was having my morning coffee, I noticed the damndest thing on this very balcony." Milt's eyes shifted to his collaborator, his interest now piqued. Crown continued. "The tiniest fly I think I've ever seen in my life - caught in a little spider web, over on those railings." he said, raising his gauntlet to point to the metallic bars separating their balcony from the rest of the world. "No spider in sight, naturally. Good news for the fly, perhaps." Crown added. "Must've been off doing other things, y'know?" Milt replied, a smile barely creeping across the corners of his lips, "Doing whatever spiders get up to when we're not sitting around watching 'em, I guess." Crown leaned forward towards the balcony, as if he hadn't heard Milt's reply.

"So, naturally, I inched closer and extended my hand, so I could sever the threads and save the fly from its predicament!" Crown stated, enthusiasm seeping into his tone yet again. He paused for a moment following this and turned his head to meet Milt's gaze for a second time. "But, as I got a closer look, I realized that the fly wasn't just CAUGHT in the web..." Crown added, his metallic hand clenching with each stressed word, "But, ENSNARED by it." Milt's left eye tightened, curious to see where his partner was going with his tale.

"Its body COMPLETELY bound in minute silk threads..." Crown then stated, staring back over at the web. "And then it dawned on me." he added, "Even IF I were to break the threads connecting the fly to the web, relinquishing it from the spider's immediate grasp, well..." Crown turned his head, his dial locking with Milt's eyes for another solitary moment.

"The fly was still bound from head to toe, y'know?" he stated, his voice almost cracking. A barely distinguishable twinge of concern flashed across Milt's face, as Crown turned again to look at the web. "I mean, even IF the fly wasn't fixed to the web itself, it couldn't fly, couldn't move and surely once the spider came back..." Crown stated, his voice now trailing off, "Well, the fly was a goner."

"And again, this was the tiniest fly I reckon I've ever seen!" Crown boasted, enthusiasm returning to his tone, as his metallic hand jolted forward. "There was absolutely no way I could've broken the fine threads covering its body without harming and possibly dismembering the fly." he added, turning back to face Milt, a hint of regret in his tone. Crown noticed Milt's eyes quickly avert to his metallic hand. "Even WITH my organic hand." he hastily corrected. Milt nodded silently, the bottom of his lips pursed.

"I could observe its predicament, even delay the inevitable..." Crown murmured, "But no single movement I could make was deft enough, delicate enough to free the fly without subjecting it to an equally gruesome fate." Crown's tone shifted, as if describing witnessing an event of abject unfairness.

"For that moment, we were interconnected!" the metallic man proclaimed, "Two beings separated TOTALLY and UTTERLY by a vast expanse of scale..." Crown's gaze shifted towards the floor dejectedly, his hunched neck communicating that his mindset was now one of bargaining. "Even IF I'd sat patiently and waited for the spider to come back, crushed it in my hand..." Crown added, his metallic hand tensing once again, "It wouldn't have changed the outcome one iota." Crown's tone hushed.

"The fly was dead the moment it entered the web." he murmured, concern now visibly plastered across his partner's face. "In that moment, my strength made me powerless to change ANYTHING for the fly." the seated man stated, as his metallic hand thrusted incredulously. "I couldn't do a THING." Crown enunciated. "Despite the sheer difference in our current situations..." the seated man shared, his posture shifting backwards into a pensive lean, "The phenomenal discrepancy in our respective circumstances..." Crown trailed off and a moment of hushed stillness followed. "We were BOTH trapped..." he mused, "Equally bound by possibility." Milt winced, sensing inner turmoil within his comrade. "And then..." Crown added, his shoulders arching as he shifted in his seat, "That got me thinking..." The metallic man turned to face his accomplice.

"Presuming he exists, of course..." Crown pondered, his voice now hushed and uncertain, "I wonder if God sees all of us the same way." Milt's grimace hardened as his eyes shifted towards the fine white residue on the table next to his partner.

"Cal..." Milt murmured, his right hand now planted on the back of his neck, "You've really gotta lay off of that stuff."

[lonevisionary]

Again, we at Freddy's would like to reaffirm: Phone Guys bear no connection to deceased or missing employees. No matter how much a Phone Guy, or the family of a deceased employee may wish for it to be so... It's the agony of every tragedy. Those employees are dead and are incapable of coming back. It is easy for humans to get caught up in their emotions, and to project human qualities onto our animatronics. ... Fazbender Entertainment would like to end our log with a heartfelt request: Anyone with delusions regarding any former deceased employees... ...Please see a grief therapist and get some help.

[lonevisionary]

y'know, i think i've heard the question before of "what was Blackjack even doing all this time" and.

i think the game answered it twice, albeit indirectly.

first, from Henry's secret tape, he talks about the differences between Black Souls (generally adults; more powerful) and Clear Souls (generally children, weaker), and he brings up that the most powerful emotion that can power a Black Soul is regret.

he states, during this tape, things that Very Clearly connect back to BJ. traveling through time? between timelines? both things we know Blackjack can do.

but one thing he says, i feel, answers the question of WHAT Blackjack's been up to (paraphrased slightly):

"...however, since the strength of a soul's power to manipulate its surroundings is determined by the emotion contained within it...Could a soul reverse time, through a physical manifestation of their own regret?...But, should a soul contain an intense, unyielding regret…It may be able to travel between timelines, and indeed, enter the spacial vacuum between timelines. The soul's ultimate desire to turn back the clock…"

like...this tape not only spells out WHY Blackjack is like that, but i feel like it answers what he's been up to.

there's another Henry quote, more directed towards Jack Himself, but feels...almost kinda targeted towards Blackjack, taking the former quotes into account (it is also the quote from the entirety of Dsaf that i think fucked me up the most. besides "You Wanted This"):

"You can never undo what I've done to her, you know."

like. i dunno why he'd try to target that towards JACK for the most part, considering that Jack's whole thing is more "atoning for past mistakes, and righting wrongs" than trying to undo what happened. that quote feels more like something directed to a character who's whole power is turning back time to get you to undo your mistakes (< given that BJ will offer to take you back to the beginning of Dsaf 2 after doing, what i personally refer to as, the Legacy Route, in order to get you to do things right this time around).

so, for those who would like me to spell it out for you:

i think the game implies, in two different ways, that Blackjack was spending most of his time trying to go back in time to prevent Dee's murder, maybe to keep things from spiraling the way they did, and because Jack felt That Horrible about Dee's death. and then when that didn't work, i think THAT'S when he decided to punish Henry one final time and leave him to rot. (y'know. before everyone convinces him to Kill)

because y'know. something something "you can't change the past," "you can never go back to how things were," etc etc.

[lonevisionary]

A little nugget of Crown + Milt characterization:

I had a long talk the other night (I was putting off sending an important email. I'm very responsible) and revealed a bit about Crown + Milt's characters. It's a lil long, but figured I should put a slightly touched up version of it here for everyone to see:

Crown was born disabled and was rejected VERY harshly when he tried to join the army, even after building his own set of mechanical legs. He was used to those in power mistreating him. As such, he never felt like he really belonged in power deep down because it was an environment he was unfamiliar with, surrounded by people who reminded him of those he'd always despised.

That's how he felt around 'real' politicians. He felt like he was in a joke + was waiting for the punchline. He felt he HAD to fight to keep what he had because those in power didn't WANT him there. He didn't belong. Here, there or anywhere. A freak only around by happenstance. He didn't just disagree with the motives/actions of others in power, he despised them for what they were. People who would never understand where he came from, what he had to overcome to get there and because of all that: what was at stake if his plans failed - that a world would never exist where he could've lived a full and happy life if he'd never had the opportunity to leave his garage.

He looked at the public as well-meaning, but somewhat dim. People who only knew enough to know what affected them personally. But he didn't hold it against them. They were products of their environment, of the systems that he was trying to undo. What he wanted was a mass revolution. A highly educated, dedicated and at times aggressive population that would recognize when their rights were being trampled and do something about it. He saw himself as a wolf on the side of sheep, and he wanted to make the public more like himself, so the fight for justice would never die. Every man a protagonist!

Milt's upbringing wasn't like Crown's. He didn't suffer from disability and his true sexual orientation wasn't known, so he faced little adversity for it, outside of the odd accusatory remark, which he was able to tolerate (as taking it personally would've given him away and put him in danger.) His family were well off, unlike Crown's.

He never understood Crown's mentality, as a result. He knew they had to fight to enact change, that the powerful fight to keep things the same because they benefit from it. But, the idea of seeing those around him as different (be it other people in power or the population themselves) - Milt couldn't fully grasp that part of Crown and at times, struggled to come to terms with the fact that the partner of his revolution, that aimed to create class awareness and solidarity - saw people as different to himself.

Marla understood Crown's perspective though. Despite perhaps sharing more ethical values with Milt, growing up poor + with a disability of her own (Mingus' cane was originally hers, after all), she saw eye to eye with Crown more in this regard. She viewed those who held onto power + failed to wield it for the good of others with a deep, searing contempt, which she was felt just as intensely as he did.

Of course, Milt never had Crown's insecurity. Just different inner demons of his own from the war, which haunted him in a very different way.

Crown believed that because he was able to change his own destiny, he HAD to change the destiny of others. He couldn't waste the opportunity he had. That the stars themselves had aligned in a one of a kind freakish accident, that their journey was one way and that nobody would ever get the chance to recreate their strategy, because those in power would know what to watch for next time it was tried. Crown couldn't have it be for nothing. he couldn't let everyone down.

While Milt looked at his past with survivor's guilt. The things he had to do to survive during the war. The faces of men he'd killed haunted him in his sleep. And he never forgot that he was alive because others were not. If he made mistakes, made the world a worse place… then the deaths of those he fought alongside who didn't come back were for nothing. He'd know for sure that the voice in his head was telling the truth - that he should've taken each and every bullet that felled his comrades. If he'd been braver, done more, generations of good families would've stemmed from the men he fought with who never made it home.

Crown and Milt had so much in common and their connection was quite deep - but as much as they knew about each other, neither could fully understand this one difference in the other and it wound up being the thing that ultimately killed their relationship.

[lonevisionary]

Dialtown is the most USA-core game I've ever played. It's so fucking American that it's scary, and I've lived there my entire life! Like, this feels fundamentally tied with the game's themes and narrative, that's how extreme it is. And it's not even alienating OR nationalist?? It makes such genuine commentary? And then there's so much other shit to think about too; Dialtown has a very real identity outside this that anyone could love?

One: I am VERY impressed that you have done the USA and its people this well. I am actually astounded, bewildered, and chuffed. I've never felt so seen by a video game, culturally-speaking. I didn't even know there was a culture to see.

Two: WHY did you do that. Dialtown is like USA Culture Absurdified: The Visual Novel. What drove you to make a game this rich with American culture and ideas???

Hello!

It would've been odd for an outsider (non American) who enjoys reading up on history to make my setting nationalist or alienating. America is a country with a lot of serious issues. You can't really study how America is (and has been) internally run without facing glaring and obvious systematic issues. DT's setting is one of scarcity and most of the main characters you follow in DT are kinda just scraping by without much hope for true mobility/advancement. A lot of Americans (especially younger generations) would agree this sorta encapsulates the national mood of the country right now.

Of course, the systems that run a country don't define its citizens - many of the finest people I've ever known are American and are victims of the whims of those with power, not willing participants in this system. I could be wrong, but that's why I think the setting connected with a lot of people. We all know Randys, Olivers + Karens, people who've fallen through the cracks in some way. To them, America's spirit of self-determination isn't about individual identity - it's more "you're on your own."

Why I chose to set DT in America would be a novel length answer in of itself, but it mainly came down to history + narrative opportunity. I wanted to set the game in the epicenter of where the phone-revolution came from and Crown likely couldn't have pulled his plan off anywhere else and probably not during any other time. It had to be 1960's America.

Of course, some parts of DT are sorta universal and were inspired by the the Great Recession and what followed. I remember there was an area not that far from my house that was full of green fields when I was born and when I was a kid (and when real estate boomed), stuff started being built there. Parts of it looked really nice, not quite like anything nearby. Like the future was coming. Then the economy crashed and stuff was left sitting there, half-built for like a decade. Skeletal, unfinished buildings. DT is much the same.

There's a feeling that the city could've been something better and while things could be more equal, it does feel like there are no easy solutions to fix everything - unless someone very smart and determined somehow bypassed every safeguard that was set up to halt radical change and enacted a genius plan to somehow eliminate scarcity. It happened once and might never again.

I don't think most people understand the intricacies of stuff like global commerce all that well (myself included), but when you're sitting looking at a half built neighbourhood mere hours after speaking to a friend who just kicked out of rented accommodation and doesn't have a stable family unit to fall back on, you'd have to be a real dolt not to understand that things aren't great right now. Most people are scraping by and feel if they could just get affordable housing locked down, if they had maybe one good opportunity - maybe there's hope that things could change for the better.

The end of DT isn't really utopian, things don't massively change for the better and indeed, the town has a lot of rebuilding to do. But, a collection of lonely people are now looking out for each other and through the relationships they have, now feel like they have a place in this world. That no matter how bad things really get - they aren't truly by themselves anymore. Most individuals don't have the means to significantly advance change on their own - but you can live your life, love those around you and support others and plan for when the opportunity to affect change comes about.

I guess that's what life is, in America or anywhere else. Sorry I rambled for so long. Hope this answered the question!

[lonevisionary]

This shot from Entry #46 makes me sad

[lonevisionary]

charlie promising not to let quackity turn to dust vs quackity blowing himself up not even 5 minutes after charlie said his last goodbye

[lonevisionary]

I think the reason Karma Q and QQ took their second chance is because of Las Nevadas Quackity.

They both have things they care about; QQ kept himself alive for weeks, months, maybe years out of love for his son. Karma Q cared about not only Luzu, but justice and the fact he cheated and that needed to be righted.

Then they look at cQ who spent his entire time in purgatory lying, bragging about winning and being the most interesting and flexing his "power."

In the end, when they finally get him to confess (by showing that physically speaking they hold the power in this situation) he is so pathetic. He is lonely, and sad, and clearly so hurt. He has gotten to a state where he is incapable of loving someone enough to take care of himself for days on end to make sure that person can take care of themself. It would be impossible for him to love someone so much he couldn't kill them, even if they'd done wrong.

In the end, when the other 2 get their second chance they choose life because they have something to live for, SOMETHING they care about, but cQ has finally succeeded in following his own lesson.

During his talk with Slime, there's a reference to the "form no emotional attatchments" rule they both broke for eachother. Slime talks about how he's moving on, but clearly, exemplified by his need to say goodbye, it isn't because cQ means nothing to him now. It is a true desire to see more, and find out what there is to learn from a larger world.

For a moment, it feels like cQ might ask to go with him. Like he might also take his second chance and restart. He could learn to trust this person again, and let himself care about something.

But that can't happen.

It wouldn't be fair to expect that forgiveness from Slime, but more, cQ is finally following his rule. He is not attached to Slime at all anymore, he's not even attached to his 'glorious casino;' if he was he wouldn't destroy it. He has no son to take care of, no appreciation for justice to fight for. He doesn't care about anything. He truly has nothing and no one, not because of circumstances, but because he literally won't let himself enjoy or value anything or anyone that may come into his life.

And so he takes what's his- his life, and his cold, empty casino. He takes them so no one else can, because thats what hes so afraid of. Losing. And because of how pitiful and unenvieable that was to witness, the others lean back into what they care about and live.

Because without an attachment to anything, what does it mean to be alive? If nothing is important or enjoyable or can be loved, how could he stay?

[lonevisionary]

like i do get why the OT having characters describe the jedi as an 'ancient religion' when they were an active and significant political presence within living memory annoys people. but honestly i think making the fall of the jedi so recent just ramps up how idk. sinister the whole thing is to me?

like the Jedi weren't just wiped out physically; their memory has been flat out obliterated. let's not forget Palpatine didn't just have the Jedi order destroyed, he got the senate to cheer for him while he did it.

we live in an age of alternative facts - it's not difficult to imagine. oh you remember seeing the Jedi using the force live on space TV? no you didn't. the Jedi order is ancient history, they fell a really long time ago. 50 years? a hundred? something like that. we don't believe in that kind of superstition anymore. kinda sad that they're gone i guess but it was progress.

[lonevisionary]

Holy shit... Just watched the end of my boy Quackity from las Nevadas and there's so many interesting things I've noticed...

For example, no matter how different each Quackity's personality was, their inner wishes and their individual needs are essentially the same:

Every Quackity wishes for a place to belong, someone to confide in... And that's exactly why LN!Q didn't make it in the end. When he woke up he didn't find a place to belong to, or more precisely people who'd NEED him. He finally got to see Charlie and probably felt it was the resolution to his own self. The world had moven on and he was no longer able to fight just to be a part of it.

And I can't help but wonder, what would've happened if instead of Slime, he found someone like Foolish, for example. FG had shown a lot of unwavering support to Q, but ultimately the relationship was all built on manipulation to it's core. In a way, they used eachother. Foolish got the validation that his builds were important and Q got a loyal worker, but no matter how much Foolish had helped him (as we saw in the previous lore stream), something tells me that Q did not see him as his confidant.

So what I'm trying to say is, I think LN!QUACKITY chose this ending for himself, because seeing Charlie depart and having that last goodbye was exactly the peaceful resolution he needed to go without regrets. Had he not gotten that moment of resolve, he might've not gone through with it... that exact day, at least. But he would've also never gotten a confirmation that, in a way, he did achieve one of his wishes! And that is legacy.

To me, the legacy that his character kept talking about was, ultimately, more about the impact he wishes he had, the lasting presence and importance he wishes to be to others, more so than physical proof of himself like buildings and casinos. And he recognises that even when he talks to his alternate selves, he constantly reiterates how important he is to others, to the point of being wished death upon. This is why when he finally hears Charlie say his goodbye, he feels that his purpose was fulfilled.

He taught Slime how to be human.

[lonevisionary]

Las Nevadas Ending...

where do i even begin with how wonderful that was... the ending to las nevadas really fits, and i'll explain why.

i think, in a way, it represents how alex himself couldn't find closure on the dream smp. bad memories, bad actors, so much drama... i think, just like that, c!quackity also didn't have a good ending. he could never find closure, he lost all his friends, everything he held dear -- all gone.

nothing was necessarily out of place -- it was exactly how it was meant to be. the ONLY thing that i think was missing was a bit of closure with c!foolish. the bits with c!slime felt SO perfect.

c!slime was like... all that c!quackity had left. he was his everything. if you love them, let them go. he let c!slime go and he let him finally go after being so controlling of him and the person he was. he realized that if he was still controlling over c!slime, he'd be continuing the cycle of abuse inflicted onto him. the possessiveness, he had to realize that it was just a cycle. to ME, the interpretation i got from c!quackity's arc as a whole, was the cycle of abuse and him finally getting closure. he, although battered and bruised and ran through hell, he finally realized that it was time to put an end to the cycle.

a lot of people called it empty or vague and i truly think if you were paying attention you'd realize every single bit was intentional. every single aspect of it was planned and every line and scene was meant to be there. if you paid attention you'd realize the overall story and message (because yes! there are so many deeper meanings to a lot of things that even i realized when i rewatched clips!)

i truly think that alex meant to do this in such a different way, and thus that's why people felt it was off. he couldn't give him the "true" ending, but i think this is more or less what he had planned regardless. i think other characters could've helped further along the point of breaking the cycle, but obviously they couldn't show up. had c!dream or c!wilbur been able to make an appearance, he would've been able to do a lot more. obviously, they couldn't and shouldn't be there. hell, even c!schlatt could've actually appeared to hammer the point home and i would've been fine with that.

all in all i think c!quackity's end is perfect. it fits, it's symbolic, it was beautifully portrayed and alex did an amazing job acting. he doesn't get enough credit for his acting holy shit he is amazing at that.

yk, as i'm writing this, he replied to someone on twitter calling c!quackity his comfort character. i think that also proves to show how much emotion he put into his performance. you're amazing quacks :(