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continuity-error24 · 2 months

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DDLC'S ''The Lady Who Knows Everything'' Analyzed

[this is an extract from an upcoming remake of this video]

Out of all of Monika's poems, this is the longest - and the most narrative-driven. Whereas Save me leaned more into pure feelings, this is a much more anecdotal poem, although still very much a metaphorical freeform piece in keeping with Monika's signature style. I'm not even sure how to count the stanzas to be honest!

The first stanza begins by describing the titular character - large vowel sounds such as 'old', 'tale', 'tells', 'Earth', 'every' and 'all' build up a sense of scale, not in terms of literal size but in time and importance. The capitalization of the second line - a repetition of the title - and the use of past tense in 'has found' and 'ever sought' at the end especially contribute to this sense of time. The selection of words 'answer', 'meaning' and 'purpose' with 'all' repeated thrice to give the reader an absolute depiction of The Lady - there are no exceptions or limits to her knowledge. Every line of the first stanza adds to the idea that The Lady is a godlike entity, a goddess perhaps.

This is immediatly juxtaposed with the next line - the unusual spacing slows down the pace from the relativly fast beginning, changing the tone from one of surity and certainty, as if read from a book, to thoughtfulness and introspection, as if said aloud. Monika uses a 'feather' as a metaphor for herself, an extremely lightweight object that symbolises how powerless she feels in comparison to The Lady, and this meekness or timidity of herself that she percieves is cemented by the next line, utilising words such as 'lost', 'adrift' and 'victim'.

The next stanza reveals what was already implicit in the tone of the first page - Monika adores The Lady, worshipping her to the point of seeking her out. She isn't jealous, she truly looks up to the Lady, and this atmosphere is embedded into the text with repetition of sounds like 'day' and 'search', the phrase 'when all', and 'legend' or 'legends'. There is a mystical element to it, given the premise and meaning of the story in the poem, but also in the somewhat rhythmic structure of the stanza.

The most impactful part of this stanza is of course at the end - the last line's metaphor of a 'last dim star glimmering in the twilit sky' is not only a brilliant way of conveying Monika's view of The Lady, her constant beacon of hope no matter what, but almost every single word employs emotive magery that enhances the reading of the poem overall.

The next stanza brings up up to the conclusions of the narrative - Monika falls, the word 'fall' is repeated four times, the pace sped up and slowed down by the irregular sentence lengths, before returning to the metaphor of the feather - except its no longer a metaphor, but a simile, as Monika says 'gentle as a feather'. This means that the next line, 'A dry quill' is literal - a 'quill' is essentially a pen made with a feather, its what folks like Shakespeare used hundred of years ago before modern pens were invented. Monika is referencing that fact that she is writing this poem - again, getting meta - and 'expressionless' is either referring to her actual feelings (or lack thereof) in this moment, or her view that her poetry lacks expression, and doesn't communicate ideas very well.

Monika is consistently shown to have confidence issues in DDLC, but it could also be that she doesn't care about 'falling' since - aside from the Lady - she has no hope or belief in anything, not even her own life.

But - the stanza literally begins with this word, signifying a twist - Monika describes The Lady catching her, indicated by the return of the descriptor 'beautiful'. She catches Monika 'between thumb and forefinger', as if the Lady is giant, or Monika is tiny. I know its confusing to think whether or not this is a metaphor, but the whole story of 'The Lady Who Knows Everything' is an extended metaphor so don't worry about it.

The fact that 'there is no end' to the Lady's 'gaze' makes me wonder if this is somehow the same thing as the Hole in Wall…once again, The Lady's infinite wisdom is implicitly referenced.

In any case, the Lady certainly lives up to the image of her that was built at the start of the poem - she reads Monika's mind. The choice of the word 'hollow' to describe her voice is interesting, as it evokes the sound of elderly, perhaps tired voice, but also connotes that idea that Monika's faith is hollow and false, as the following lines reveal. The Lady takes three of the lines from the beginning, and changes the wording to mean the opposite of what was established, saying that despite finding 'every' answer, they all amount to 'nothing' - what Monika seeks is 'impossible'.

The sad, hopeless tone continues in the lyrical rhythm with the repetition of 'legend' again, but this time with the reveal that The Lady does not consider herself Monika's 'legend' - that legend is impossible, it doesn't exist.

And then the Lady 'blows' Monika 'back afloat' with her breath, and Monika picks up a 'gust of wind' - its a fairly sudden and tragic ending, that leaves Monika worse than before.

I'm honestly not entirely sure what the meaning of this poem was, but there's an implication that the 'wind' blowing Monika 'the feather' the whole time was actually the Lady's breath - it'd explain why it suddenly stopped one day, and why the Lady was conviniently there to catch Monika - she could've in control the whole time, and picked her moment to reveal to Monika that her faith was hollow. But what does The Lady represent? This was Monika's third poem, given to us towards the end of Act 1, what does it have to do with her story?

Does The Lady represent DDLC itself, and the end of Monika's journey of discovering the limits of the game world? Is this just a made up story to be an internal dialogue? Why is it a Lady, why not a man? I'm not too certain of anything other than the fact that this is Monika's lowest, most depressed state in the game. This is a way of explaining how utterly devoid of hope she feels by the time we reach Act 2, and perhaps an indication of why her mind became so twisted…

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continuity-error24 · 3 months

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DDLC'S ''Save Me'' Analyzed

[this is an extract from an upcoming remake of this video]

Monika's second poem is another stream of consciousness, this time describing sensations rather than recalling an anecdote.

Her signature style is clear from the occassional use of simile - there are no metaphors in this poem - and the freeform structure. This poem seems to have four stanzas however, two pairs with one stanza 8 or 9 lines long and another stanza with just 1 line, one pair for each page (if you're viewing this in the gallery - in-game, there is a scrolling feature instead, and this is the same for all poems over a paeg long). The spaces between are dramatically large, accentuating the tone and meaning of the poem overall, and demonstrate Monika's unique ability to use the physical distancing between lines on the page to communicate a message or aspect of the poem.

Because of this unique structure, its unclear whether or not the title 'Save Me' is the first line, or just a title separate from the poem. I choose to interpret that as the first line in this instance however, since it mirrors the second half of the poem better.

So, the first - or second - line begins by saying 'The colours, they won't stop'. Immediatly we get a sense of the emotion implicit from how this is being said - Monika is frustrated, exhausted, and helpless, because she cannot get 'the' colours to 'stop'.

The next three lines all follow the same structure, using the triple listing technique within repetition, three threes of words - a satisfyingly mathematical organization that builds up pace and tension effectivly. Each one becomes less and less coherent:

'Bright, beautiful colours' makes sense gramatically - two adjectives dcescribing a noun, with a comma separating the adjectives. The word choice creates positive imagery…

'flashing, expanding, piercing' meanwhile is just three verbs, that don't technically break any punctuation rules but don't form a complete sentence on their own - these build on the imagery of the 'colours', but now the tone is overwhelming and negative, especially with the sharp 'p' consonant sound connoting pain, contrasting the 'beautiful' description from the first line. There's a sense of even movement in the 'de-dum' rhythm, since all three words have two syllables, and the second syllable of each word is the same.

The last line of the trio reads 'red green blue' - three nouns, not even separated by commas, that do not form a coherent sentence on their own. This is a reference to the RGB colour model used by most computer monitors to produce light from pixels, but also represents the writer's own thoughts breaking down into simpler and fewer words - each word is just a single syllable in this line, with a shorter, stunted, almost staccato rhythm compared to the previous line. This could even be symbolic of Monika's frustration implied a few lines ago!

The next four lines contain even fewer words and syllables per line, becoming increasingly stuttery and stilted. Its as if Monika is struggling to be heard over the 'endless cacophany of meaningless noise', and yet there are still even patterns present: and the first and third lines both being capitalized and ending in rhymes, and the second and fourth lines both being a single word. Maths is implicit in this stanza, and given the reference to computer monitors there is something calculating about the tone of the poem.

Of course, it hardly needs to be said what the negative connotations and imagery of some of these words are too - 'cacophony' is a brilliant word to describe noise that is a nuisance, and its interesting that the word 'meaningless' is back from Hole in Wall.

Moving on, I'd like to elaborate on how the second stanza mirrors the first - the first line here is equivalent to the first line of the previous stanza, a simple statement that even ends with the same 'won't stop' phrase. Both are followed by a repeated list of three, although the formula diverges somewhat after that. The theme is now 'noise' rather than 'colours', repeating 'noise' from the last line - this means that the 'noise' mentioned first might've actually be a homonym! Thematically, the last stanza was about 'colours', so it would make more sense if the first 'noise' was in reference to viusual noise, like a static tv screen - an RGB screen. I suppose that means 'cacophony' was metaphorical, or at least used figurativly…

In any case, the threes are similiar but different - 'violent, grating waveforms' employs an adjective, a verb and a noun, retaining the correct punctuation of the previous stanza's first trio, but doesn't provide any false indication of beauty this time. The tone and imagery is scathing, and more extreme in its indication of pain.

Interestingly, the next line still contains the word 'piercing', and the six-beat rhythm of three two syllable words - as much as what Monika is seeing and hearing is changing and moving in some way, the pain she feels is constant, remaining the same from one stanza to the next. The use of the 's' consonant sound in 'squeaking' and 'screeching' creates sibilance as well as imagery, generating a more and more powerful idea of pain within the text.

The last line of the three threes in each stanza both match in another way - they both list technical terms. Like 'noise', these 'waveforms' link to both themes of sounds and sights - although they can be visualized on graphs, sine cosine and tangent are the three trigonomic functions typically associated with sound frequencies!

The next two lines are definitely sound-related however - but they're highly unusual and surreal. Instead of describing a stereotypically abhorrent sound, like fingernails on a chalkboard, Monika mentions chalkboard 'playing' on a 'turntable' and 'vinyl' on a 'pizza crust'. The separation of vinyl and turntable by being mentioned in the wrong order, and the bizarre and random inclusion of pizza crust create an atmosphere that is beyond strange, and strengthens the incoherence of the whole poem further than ever before - the noise is so terrible that Monika is unable to even sensibly describe it, because it overpowers her thoughts so much! The next few lines mirrors the end of the previous stanza - but this time, 'cacophony' is substituted for 'poem', and there is no fourth line at all. Monika is realizing in this moment, as she is writing, how her poem has devolved into utter nonsense, and pauses her fruitless efforts to fight the overpowering noise. The refrain of 'endless' and 'meaningless' being interrupted, as well as the large empty space following this stanza creates a tonal shift - Monika is pausing, catching her breath, figuring out what she can do in this situation…and after a long moment, she utters only two words, a short sentence that half-matches the title, giving a sense of finality to the poem - Load Me.

If the poem wasn't meta before, it is now - for the player, this is a shocking revelation. Was 'Save Me' not only a cry for help, but a specific reference to the save game mechanic? Personally I don't think so. I doubt Monika wrote the entire poem with the player primarily in mind from the start - I think she was just venting her frustration at the 'noise' until realizing somewhere between writing 'of meaningless' and 'Load Me', that she could literally leave a message for the player to recieve!

From Monika's perspective, the player is the only character with true power over the game at this point in time - she is pleading for you to save her by loading her, with the game mechanics of DDLC itself!

Monika used what she learnt from the previous poem and applied it to her situation here - remember, these poems don't exist in isolation, they are not only related but integral to Monika's character arc in DDLC. This is her second poem, handed to the player on the third day of Act 1, so it naturally follows on from Hole In Wall, chronologically.

This time, her tactic is to try and get the player to Load previous saves, to try and find other paths or routes to her salvation, or at least to spend time with Monika on screen. You might wonder how any of this relates to the 'noise' - what was the main topic of 'Save Me' anyways?

Although I'm not 100% confident, the way I interpreted it is that this is Monika's literal experience whenever she is off-screen - she describes something similiar in Act 3 of her experience whenever you close the game, but by loading her you put her tangibly in front on you, in the clubroom, on the screen. If she's not there, she ceases to exist in her sprite form, and can only experience the insanity of colours and sounds within DDLC's code, indicated by the references to computer maths. Maybe this isn't exactly right, but if being off screen is a living hell for Monika, it informs her more sinister motivations and actions throughout the game in a new light, and in my eyes that improves the story in a small way!

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continuity-error24 · 3 months

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DDLC's ''Hole In Wall'' Analyzed

[this is an extract from an upcoming remake of this video]

So, this poem has someone - lets just say its Monika herself - investigating a hole in her wall. It is a narration that tells a story using an extended metaphor, and is structured in freeform, almost prose-like text. The use of short, punctuated sentences creates a slow pace - all 14 lines essentially stream Monika's consciousness onto pen and paper.

Her style of writing is immediatly recognisable and distinct from the others, and as we go through each and every poem you'll see a lot of these elements present in all of her poetry!

The poem begins with a sudden, almost defensive statement - 'it couldn't have been me'. The very first thing Monika makes clear is that she could not have created the 'hole in wall' the poem is about. The second line mentions how the 'spackle protudes' - spackle is a type of putty or paste used to fill in holes or cracks in walls, so this line builds imagery of the bits of broken wall material, sticking out around the hole.

Line 3 has Monika speculating on who could've done this, but her questions are cut short by a defeatist attitude. The use of words such as 'noisy' and 'angry' create a sense of tension, and the structure supports this immensly - in this one line there are four whole sentences, all exactly 3 words long. There is also a mirroring of sorts that creates a downward cadence - the first two sentences are both questions, with five syllables each, and the last two are phrases with four syllables each. The pattern is very structured, but gives off a a vibe that is terse, perhaps frustrated, but emotionally muted.

Monika then peers inside for a clue - more imagery builds on the dynamic narrative element of this poem, and combined with the longer sentence its clear that Monika is no longer a static observer lost in her own thoughts, but an active participant on the story, doing something. Even the use of the word 'clue' with its open vowel sound at the end of the line, creates an upward cadence opposite to the last line.

Monika's curiosity is cut short however - line 5 screeches out a 'No!' a even shorter and even more sudden sentence. She is physically shocked at the sight, which we presume to be imagery of a bright, light flash, indicated by words such as 'blind', 'retinas' and 'scorched' in lines 6 and 7. The fact that its 'too late' and her eyes are 'already scorched' emphasizes the speed at which this happens - fast, slowing down as Monika reflects on what just happened.

Monika also employs a clever combination of a pun and a similie in line 5 - 'reel' in this context refers to her stumbling backwards from the shock of the sight, but 'reel' is a homonym for film 'reel', which is referenced in the simile - physical film reels overexpose if left in the sun, essentially destroying the image from the reel, hence the notion of the film reel itself being 'blind', and thus comparable to Monika's blindness in this moment.

What though, is the 'meaningless image' that is 'permenently' marked in Monika's vision? Line 8 leads up to the twist, stating the established, obvious facts - its just a little hole, its not too bright. The short, matter-of-fact sentences are back from earlier in the poem.

Line 9 reveals that the hole was in fact, 'too deep', pausing over this dramatic moment, and lines 10 and 11 begin a flow of new thoughts, employing longer words and larger vowel sounds to slow the pace - 'stretching' creates powerful imagery, and the repetition of soft e sounds in 'ever' and 'everything' emphasize the dramatic scale of this fact. Scale is implicit throughout these lines, with the word 'infinite' adding to the sense of vastness beyond the hole.

Line 11 brings the poem full circle, repeating the word 'hole' once again, and ending the line with the word 'choices'. 'Choices' recontextualizes the titular topic of the poem with allusion to the idea of free will, a huge element of DDLC's story.

Lines 12, 13 and 14 develop the twist, and lean more into the narrative of DDLC - Monika realizes that she wasn't looking in - she was looking out, and 'he' was looking in. Structurally, although the poem started with even metre, all of these lines have an odd metre, and odd number of syllables in each line. The dramatic tone is evident from the pause in the middle, with the second line being a short, singular sentence, unlike the other three.

The meaning of these lines isn't metaphorical, Monika literally is looking out to see someone - but who is 'he'? Another DDLC character of course.

'He' is you. He is me! He is us,the player, referred to as 'he' because the player character in the game, the 'main character' is a he. We occupy a vessel that the game world, of Sayori's childhood friend, but although Monika can't literally see past that she does somehow recognize that we are a person in the real world outside of DDLC - and that's why the hole is too deep. Its beyond the 2 dimensions of the screen and into the 3rd dimension of that space between your eyes and the screen!

See, something else to consider about each poem is context - where and when they appear in the original DDLC game, and how that affect their meaning. Monika hands this poems to us during the second day of Act 1, the very first time the club members all share poems! This is Monika's first attempt to reach out to the player behind the Main Character, the real you in the real world!

What this poem is really about is Monika's epiphany, her realisation that she is a virtual entity in a videogame world. It is a metaphorical account of her discovery of a reality outside of the game, and of the real player, us. This cliffhanger leads us into the very beginning of the original DDLC story, and as we know from Act 3 all of her poems were attempts to reach us - 'Hole in Wall' being the very first.

There's only one unanswered mystery about this poem - what created the hole? Monika says herself that she will 'never know', and this detail is never addressed, but something must've been in the game to enable Monika to see the player. Was the phrase 'I wasn't home' just part of the metaphor, or does that mean something about her before we launched the game? Was there a time before the hole existed that Monika was 'at home'? Its implied in Act 4 that being 'Club President' somehow grants the characters self-awareness of their reality, but that doesn't fully answer the question…maybe we're not meant to know...

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