schm00by

[schm00by]

ggy/gregory fans cheering on after he gets referenced in a game

we have won today people…

[schm00by]

Real I was actually shitting my pants

my live reaction to ggy ref in into the pit

[schm00by]

It's the wizard and his favourite apprentice

[schm00by]

Mixed Feelings about the Malware Arc (Ben 10)

The Malware arc, to me, left much to be desired. With the lesson Ben was meant to learn in the arc and the emotional impact of its conclusion heavily dampened due to the pacing and lack of buildup.

Basically, from my perspective, the arc with Malware was supposed to teach Ben to forgive himself for losing Feedback. Which might I add, is already a daunting message to tell (to me at least, I mean it hit me like a truck). In retrospect, yeah that is a hard-hitting topic that contrasts heavily with the more “kiddy” direction Omniverse is taking, at least compared to its predecessor: Ultimate Alien which often (to the best of their ability when the network was breathing down their necks) tackled darker topics and had a moodier atmosphere.

This message was reached and confirmed with Past Ben and Present Ben interacting. I felt the entire scene with Past Ben and Present Ben interacting was honestly pretty hard hitting, at least for Omniverse’s first season. With Past asking Present if he learned anything, and Present saying, "yeah that losing bites" and Past, with his eyes downcast, asking if Ben was still mad at him after all these years was just wow. And when Present got down to Past's level and agreed that instead of beating up his past self about what happened, he’d instead focus on what he can do in the now (Ben's way of saying he’s come to terms with what happened and is forgiving his ten-year-old self). I actually really liked that scene; it would have been an amazing turning point in Ben’s character.

However, even with the little praise I give it, the entirety of it felt sorta misplaced. Now this scene could totally work if the pacing hadn’t been so butchered. If we had more scenes with Feedback and really saw the closeness Ben had with him then this scene would’ve hit so much harder. In this arc we barely got any Feedback scenes or really how the loss of Feedback really affected Ben other than a few one off lines about how he feels whenever anyone brought up Feedback or some, one off flashbacks of 11 year old Ben using him, as most of season one consisted more episodic episodes than an overarching story (not including the episodes with Zip and the Hunter, and Malware)

Literally in the episode RIGHT before the conclusion to Ben’s arc (the Past and Present scene) we are shown what happened to Feedback. (Malware literally ripping Ben from his alien form was just wow and I don’t even know where to start with that). If they have given us more time to digest and see the impact Feedback made on Ben when he was taken, then it would’ve been all the more emotional to see Ben be reunited with his favorite alien. Having us see Feedback’s death scene just for him to immediately be brought back in the literal next episode was just too much to swallow at once. It’s hard to explain but it would’ve been neat to see that scene with Ben losing Feedback earlier in the season. Perhaps when Ben first saw Malware, he could get a flashback, or we could have an episode focusing on Rook trying to get to know Ben better and learning about what happened through Gwen. Not only would it give us more time to digest what happened to Feedback before he is revived but we can also see more character interaction with Rook, a current partner of Ben’s, and Gwen, who used to be partnered up with Ben and maybe contrasting they’re views on him and what is feels/felt like to be partnered up with him. It moves the plot forward, does not give us mediocre, forgettable, and practically useless episodes, and we get more character interaction. Fillers are always a great opportunity to go more in depth with the characters when they aren’t doing something with the overarching conflict and a lot of fillers in Ben 10 are often wasted to random, fast action mini-plots (not to say that is bad because it definitely isn’t, I personally loved the Billy Billions episode and loved Billy and Ben interacting, but I wish there was more variety in the fillers than a one off crisis that is dealt with in random episodes)

[schm00by]

As someone who is fixated on this game, I almost passed out from seeing this. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who is still infatuated with this game. Thank you for pointing out some things I left out, I definitely skipped quite a few details when making this lol.

For the first point I'm gonna say I agree with you there. My theory that there was possibly a third character was something that I didn’t really believe myself personally (which is why I called it the Stranger) and I honestly had no idea where I was going with that and was just sorta throwing it up in the air for interpretation, but looking back on it is most definitely the Kid. It’s very likely it was the Kid, and it would make sense for why the Entity chose to have him specifically kidnapped and manipulated. However, it still, makes the timeline very strange in my head but for my own sake I'm ignoring it lol. I also agree with that in the section where Garfield asks the player to pick up the toys that it is in fact the Kid. This was more so a revision of what happened, and I tried my best to keep an open mind for speculation but in all honesty, it was most definitely the Kid. In fact, this whole sequence could’ve been Garfield/the Entity’s way of worming it’s influence into the Kid’s head in the first place.

As for the route where we do get to save the dog I did know about this! I mentioned only the dog being killed as I didn’t think the dog being dead or alive really mattered in the grand scheme of things, given the dog may have lived or died countless of times within the many many time loops but now I wish I did mention it lol.

Now for The Temple section my own theory was that it was Jon that went to temple in the first place which is where he learned about the blindfold technique and the significance of the symbols used to ward off the Entity’s influence. Plus, it would’ve shown that Jon knew of the dangers of the entity and why he blames himself even more harshly about what has become of him and this Kid. I think both interpretations work as the game is pretty vague and it doesn’t affect the timeline all too much.

I personally think the Kid escaped and went on a killing spree during the first hallucination (when there was still nine days left till the stars aligned) but during the second hallucination, after Jon shoots the Kid, it is shown that the Kid is still trying to climb out of the basement, relic in hand, when he is shot.

Also, you made me remember one of my favorite details of the game that I think I mentioned in my rant. I absolutely love the differences between the Entity’s manipulation of Jon and the Kid. With what you stated that the Entity knew how to play with its food. The Kid being a kid would be much more susceptible to influence and control if eased into doing heinous acts with bright colors, music, etc. Like bro was literally going on a hallucinatory bender that got every person at a random ass gas station killed just because the funny kitty gave him fire powers and was told to kill lasagna and find a tower. While with Jon, whenever it minds controlled Jon, he’d just black out. No fun hallucinations about fighting make-believe foods or anything of the sort that wasn’t blunt or forceful. Every horrible act the Kid made was through coercion, not full-on possession like Jon, though hallucinatory. (Not saying it’s his fault, he is a little kid. Plus, if the funny cat told me to jump on clouds and fight evil lasagna, I’d probably do it too)

THIS OMG. This dialogue in particular proves that it is ONLY the Kid who can see the Entity as Garfield. Which is just the Entity’s way of taking on a form that would most likely amuse a child. Like you’ve stated earlier, Jon refers to the Entity as The Voice, he doesn’t see some concrete being when he hears it. It is simply just that. A voice. I can’t believe I didn’t think about that when writing my rant.

I love this game and I'm still onto hope that the dev will make another ending for this game 🤞

Making Sense of the Last Monday (yes the Garfield horror game)

The Last Monday is a psychological horror that starts with you trying to help Garfield find his house keys. It is free to play on itch.io and if you haven’t checked it out you definitely should. 

This game is broken up into numerous sections that are not in chronological order. From my research and analysis of the game, I will be breaking down each section, each POV we play as, and finally structure each section into a somewhat cohesive timeline at the end of the sections analysis to the best of my ability and observations. I have also named each section to remember it easier

There are three characters we play as:

The Stranger

The Kid (the kid will be referred to with he/him pronouns, but ultimately they don’t have a concrete gender stated in the games)

John Arbuckle

Section 1: Entering the House

We start the game in an unknown POV of neither the Kid nor Jon. This POV will be deemed the Stranger. We open up with a view of the sun before looking at a saturated colored house in the middle of no where. We are requested by Garfield to help him into his house. We retrieve a garage door opener from the backyard and find the key after Garfield gets up from the porch to stop us from opening the garage door. A small easter egg is found when the garage door opens and a small CD is thrown out before Garfield closes the garage. This CD can be used during Section 2. After grabbing the key you can access the basement. We are instructed by Garfield to paint over symbols that are drawn over the basement. There is a small black cage and a notepad filled with child drawings. This will be important later. The notepad contains a code to open a vault and retrieve a black cat relic before we run up the stairs of the basement chased by an angry Jon Arbuckle. We make it upstairs and spray paint the rest of the symbols before being commanded by a voice to throw the relic into the fire. 

Section 2: Chores

The second section we play either as the Kid or John. We are in a bright colorful house. The Entity/Garfield often uses saturated colors and hallucinations to manipulate the Kid, unlike with Jon whom because he is an adult, uses bleak colors. Again this is up to you, either POV works for this section. We are told to put a lasagna in the oven and a 2 hour timer starts and in that time, told to pick up some toys. This is also when you can put the CD found in Section 1 into the TV however nothing happens and this does not effect the ending or the story in any way. (Very disappointing considering there is only one ending to this game as of now) When we are told to pick up the toys, if you notice, every single one of these toys are found in the Kid’s bedroom (explained in Section 3.1). This section I believe is kind of a sick way of making the Kid reliving his capture at the hands of John. Or it could be Garfield taunting John of what he did, kidnapping an innocent kid and making him cleanup the child’s toys as a mockery of him. After picking up all the toys and the relic, we see quick glitches of fire that spread throughout the house. Confirming that this takes place after the events of Section 3.1 (explained below) We know John burns down the Kid’s house after kidnapping him. Again this could either be the Kid reliving his capture in a sick way or John being forced to relived his actions he made whilst possessed. After picking up the toys we go to the backyard to dig up things Odie dug into the backyard. We find a ball, a bone, a newspaper clipping about a family murder and a child being missing (this will be important later), and finally a dog corpse. The corpse possibly being the dog you kill during Section 3.1. The house is burst into flames because the lasagna burned and the section ends. Its important to note that this entire section…didn’t exactly happen. As I’ve stated this is more of a recollection of events that have already happened. To understand this section you must understand sections 3 and 3.1 as this entire section occurs sometime after those events and is more so a dream-scape like retelling of those events.. This does not have an official place on the timeline as I am considering this more so of a dream that The Kid or Jon had. I will place it on the timeline below but this isn’t a very crucial section to understanding this game, other than the newspaper that is dug up.

Section 3: The House

I want to note that the events of the game don’t play in chronological order, and I will put a short summary of the timeline below. We play as John in this section, who after coming to from the Entity’s possession (Garfield) winds up at the very house the rest of the events of this game will play out. We know we play as John due to the reflection of the bathroom mirror when he cuts out his tongue. Here we pick up gasoline (which will be used to burn down the Kid’s house in Section 3.1), the gun (which the Kid will use and I’ll explain further down this analysis), and a roll of tape (which will be used when kidnapping the kid), and the wire cutters (which are used to uh remove John’s tongue and cut the powerline of the Kid’s house). We also find a bloody shovel and can infer that the Entity made John kill the family living in this house while possessed.

Section 3.1: The Kidnapping

In the beginning of this section we play as John, cutting the powerline, killing the dog, and the people in the house. The POV then switches to the Kid and we hide in the closet. Again, all the toys in the Kid’s bedroom are also found in Section 2 when we have to pick them all up. John kidnaps the Kid and the scene ends. 

Section 3.2: The Symbols

We are now in the POV of the Kid, locked in a cage by John, but not for malicious reasons. John is keeping the Kid in the cage because he is compromised by the Entity, his actions could be puppeteered by it at any given moment, thus keeping him in a cage.  I know we are the Kid because of his cries to ‘go home’ right after the house burning sequence, and also because John leaves cartoons in front of his cage to watch. We ask him questions and ask to go home only for John to not answer (unable to due to his tongue being gone). The Kid consumes the food and drinks the soda provided which was shown to be drugged. We walk through a bright door and pass through numerous symbols. These are the symbols that later on in the game are explained that they’re the only thing repelling the Entity. The Kid attempts to communicate with Jon once more only for him to cry when the Kid speaks. Probably from his guilt, Jon’s guilt for what he’s done is recurring.

Section 4: The Tower

Our POV starts right where we left off from Section 3.s, our POV still the Kid’s and we are watching TV. What is interesting to note is that Garfield only appears when John isn’t around and even refers to John as “his master” even though we know who is really in control. This is where the timeline gets wonky as these sections do not take place in chronological order. I am just explaining each section on a surface level and will sort each section into a somewhat cohesive timeline based on my observations that i am 75% sure is right at the end of my section analysis. In Section 4, John is no longer being controlled by the Entity, it’s presence now moved onto the Kid. This was possibly the reason why the Entity made John kidnap the Kid instead of killing him, a child being much more easier to influence incase John managed to break free. Anyways back to the analysis of this section. Garfield breaks us out of the cage and apologizes on his ‘master’s’ behalf. He instructs us to run up the stairs and grants us something called ‘firepower’ this fire power I believe is the gun John stole in Section 3. Another thing important to note is that, unlike with John, whenever the Entity possess or influences the child, it makes what the Kid is doing seem harmless and fun, the world saturated in color and illusion. Unlike in John’s case with everything bleak. Again fueling the idea that the Kid is much easier to influence and control. We are told to get to through the maze and to the tower and to shoot lasagnas that come after us. When we do make it to the tower, we are snapped back to reality and are in a gas station. We shoot the last stray lasagna before the illusion fully dispels and we see a man dead and the realization that all those lasagnas we shot were all people.  We hear a honk of a horn, who is later confirmed in a later section to be John. Basically, Garfield made the Kid massacre a shit ton of people and disguised it as a game and rides back to John’s house in his car. We wake up in a bed to see Garfield in front of the TV again referring to John as the ‘master’ even though we know he is feigning innocent. We get into John’s garage and read a book with the symbols we in Section 3.2.

Section 5: The Temple

In this POV we are entirely John. We are at a temple and place a familiar cat relic into a box with the symbols shown in Section 3.2, which I will refer to as just the symbols, drawn one the box. The box is sealed and a small ritual is performed that implies John was broken free of the Entity’s control. This section takes place sometime after John was first possessed and perhaps found a way to break free of the mind control. We are never explicitly shown when John was first possessed, but this is possibly the earliest account and this sequence happens before any other section occurs.

Section 5.1: Change of Heart

Sometime after the events of Section 5, John had a change of heart and decided to go back for the Relic with the promise of shared power with the Entity. This is the domino effect of everything that happens in the game. He steals the Relic and drives off before the Entity takes control of his body once more. He comes to after the Entity forces him to murder another family before the flashback ends with John arriving at the house in Section 3.

Section 6: Methods

We are back where 4 left off, back in the Kid’s POV. When we try to leave the garage we are immediately confronted by an angry Garfield who demands to know what is in the garage. The garage has the symbols drawn on the walls, thus is the reason why Garfield is unable to enter. We pass out and then when we leave the garage and enter the house Garfield is no where to be seen. A note from John is on the counter, explaining what is happening. In his note, it explains the Entity who once controlled him is now controlling us and the only way to stop it is at the end of the month when the stars align, until then we must wear the headphones to keep us from listening to the Entity. John warns us to not listen to its lies or illusions and that he is sorry. Obviously he is sorry for killing the Kid’s family and being the one to start this mess in the first place. This is also where we get the confirmation of the symbols being used to protect us from the Entity, with a note on the wall explaining each symbol’s meaning. When wandering in the basement, a note states that if we are overcome by the Entity we will be put into a cage, the same one seen in Section 1. Again this more proof we are in fact the Kid, with John using words like time-out to explain to us the usage of the cage. We go to the bedroom where John sleeps on a futon allowing us the bed. The Kid falls asleep.

Section 7: The Cage

We are back in the Kid’s POV with only ten more days to go until the end of the month. Ten more days until they can defeat the entity. We have the headphones John gave us on listening to music as the we sit down in front of the TV to draw in our notepad. The same notepad that was in the cage of Section 1. We draw about not listening to The Entity, fully trusting John. This happy moment does not last as Garfield/The Entity chastizes us for our mistrust in it, stating that they werent there for the horrible stuff that happened to the kid but John was. They weren’t there when John was at the Kid’s house, or at the gas station, and was the one that freed the Kid from the cage in Section 4. It claims it is our friend and pulls the Kid into another hallucination, beckoning him to come play outside. We are met with another illusion, back at the tower from Section 4, only now we are climbing up it. We fight off bats before the ‘monster’ gets us. We are flashed back to reality to see a scratched up John dragging us back to to the house as we somehow during our hallucination made it outside. The Kid is shown lying down in the cage before waking up and John interrogating us about what we saw before we were possessed, using a notepad. At the end of the interrogation, John advises the Kid to use the blindfold next time we see the Entity or “the Kitty” as the Kid has been calling it. 

Section 8: Means To An End

Once again, we are in the Kid’s POV. One more day until the stars a line. One more day until they can defeat the Entity. The music is noticeably gone, meaning we are not wearing the headphones John told us to wear. The scene plays out similar to Section 7, only this time when the Kid goes to draw it is clear he have lost trust in Jon and is possibly too far into the Entity’s influence, with drawings showing mockery of Jon’s warnings and a desire to go outside. On the last page of the notepad there is a code for a vault. The same vault from Section 1. The Entity commands the Kid to go down into the basement, which for the past two sections have been locked due to Jon being down there. However this time, Jon is sleeping in the bedroom and the basement is unlocked. The Kid creeps down the stairs to open the safe, which reveals the relic and we are thrusted back into another hallucination. This hallucination ends with the Kid snapping back to reality, shot by Jon to prevent him from escaping the basement with the relic and going on another possessed induced massacre, thus killing the child, just one day before they could defeat the Entity and be freed. 

Section 8.1: Devourer of Stars

We are in Jon’s POV after he killed the Kid. Draping his body in a blanket and putting the child in the garage, the Entity begins to speak to Jon. It tells him that Jon’s killing of the child has unleashed the Entity. It begins monologuing on the uselessness of Jon’s futile efforts to defeat it, stating in this chilling line: “You want to defeat me when the stars align? Then I shall take the stars from you.” The Entity then states that Jon shall see the child soon enough. It is revealed that Jon and the Kid are stuck in a time loop, created by the Entity, to repeat this timeline again and again until, in it’s words: “gets what it wants and until Jon breaks.” What it desires never being said explicitly, and to be honest I’m not very sure what it wants either. So the ugly truth has come to light, that this isn’t even the first time these events played out. The Kid is destined to be taken, corrupted, and killed over and over again with Jon’s efforts never being enough to save the both of them. 

Section 9: The Last Monday, Again.

We are back in a POV similar to the start of the game. The saturated house in view, no other house in sight. Only this time, the sun is gone. We are given the same task by Garfield to help him find his key. Only this time, when going to retrieve the garage door opener, it is nowhere to be found. When returning to Garfield he states: “I love playing with my food, don’t you?” 

The End Credits

When the credits roll, a morse code is to be heard which reads, “I don’t know who you are, and I don’t know what you know. You’ve been here before, hundreds of times. You’ve returned to me everyday and everyday I must stop you. I’ve tried killing you. I’ve tried keeping you alive. Please forgive me. Sometimes I want to give up, but I fear that if the voice is free (the Entity/Garfield), we will be tortured more than this. Please please forgive me.” (credit: Mak Angeleezy on YT). This is likely Jon to the Kid or in this case, us, since we the player are the Kid. Section 9 is the start to the next time loop or in other words the second timeline 

Conclusion

The Last Monday is a psychological horror with Lovecraftian elements. We flip flop between different POVs and different parts of the timeline. We have been through these events hundreds of times over, due to a time loop instilled by the Entity to repeat the last Monday over and over again right when our characters are just shy of victory. There is no happy ending for anyone, and despite this, Jon pursues freedom in each loop. To save us and himself from this forever hell. Something very notable and something to commemorate, even though it is his fault for its beginning. Hopefully someday for my own sanity the creator will make another ending to the game because my god, The Kid is going through it. 

Timelines

So…technically there are two timelines or two time loops if you will that this game marks. Each section is set to how I think the events of this game went chronologically.

Time Loop 1

Section 1: Entering the House (this marks the end of this time loop and thrusts us to the beginning of the second time loop aka the loop we play)

Time Loop 2 

Section 5: The Temple (Jon rejects the artifact which holds significance to the Entity)

Section 5.1: Change of Heart (Jon comes back to the artifact with the promise of shared power before being controlled and taken to the house)

Section 3: The House (Jon arrives at the house and collects supplies needed to kidnap the Kid)

Section 3.1: The Kidnapping (Jon kills the Kid’s parents and kidnaps him)

Section 2: Chores (a dream or daydream the Kid or Jon might’ve had about the kidnapping)

Section 3.2: The Symbols (Jon keeps the Kid locked up and performs a ritual on him in an attempt to protect him from the Entity)

Section 4: The Tower (Garfield/The Entity frees the Kid and sends him on a possessed, hallucinatory bender that causes him to kill a ton of people before Jon picks him up and takes him back to the house)

Section 6: Methods (After reading a book left for the Kid by Jon, he is told the only they’ll beat the Entity is at the end of the month when the stars align and is instructed a list of ways to keep the Entity at bay from his mind during their time waiting)

Section 7: The Cage (10 more days until the end of the month and the Entity manipulates the Kid into not trusting Jon before being thrust into another hallucination which causes him to escape the house. He is then  being dragged back inside by a battered Jon and kept in a cage until he is himself again)

Section 8: Means To An End (1 more day to go before the end of the month. The Kid is too far gone in the Entity’s manipulation and as instructed by the Entity, goes down to the basement to unlock the relic from the safe. The Kid is thrusted back into another hallucination before being shot by Jon when he attempts to leave the basement with the relic)

Section 8.1: Devourer of Stars (The Entity reveals Jon’s plans for defeating it were futile, revealing the existence of the time loop the Kid and Jon have been in for god knows how long)

Section 9: The Last Monday, Again (marks the end of this time loop and would be the catapult for the next time loop’s beginning)

Idk what’s with my fascination with characters who get mind controlled but yeah I think about this game every day

[schm00by]

Making Sense of the Last Monday (yes the Garfield horror game)

The Last Monday is a psychological horror that starts with you trying to help Garfield find his house keys. It is free to play on itch.io and if you haven’t checked it out you definitely should. 

This game is broken up into numerous sections that are not in chronological order. From my research and analysis of the game, I will be breaking down each section, each POV we play as, and finally structure each section into a somewhat cohesive timeline at the end of the sections analysis to the best of my ability and observations. I have also named each section to remember it easier

There are three characters we play as:

The Stranger

The Kid (the kid will be referred to with he/him pronouns, but ultimately they don’t have a concrete gender stated in the games)

Jon Arbuckle

Section 1: Entering the House

We start the game in an unknown POV of neither the Kid nor Jon. This POV will be deemed the Stranger. We open up with a view of the sun before looking at a saturated colored house in the middle of no where. We are requested by Garfield to help him into his house. We retrieve a garage door opener from the backyard and find the key after Garfield gets up from the porch to stop us from opening the garage door. A small easter egg is found when the garage door opens and a small CD is thrown out before Garfield closes the garage. This CD can be used during Section 2. After grabbing the key you can access the basement. We are instructed by Garfield to paint over symbols that are drawn over the basement. There is a small black cage and a notepad filled with child drawings. This will be important later. The notepad contains a code to open a vault and retrieve a black cat relic before we run up the stairs of the basement chased by an angry Jon Arbuckle. We make it upstairs and spray paint the rest of the symbols before being commanded by a voice to throw the relic into the fire. 

Section 2: Chores

The second section we play either as the Kid or John. We are in a bright colorful house. The Entity/Garfield often uses saturated colors and hallucinations to manipulate the Kid, unlike with Jon whom because he is an adult, uses bleak colors. Again, this is up to you, either POV works for this section. We are told to put a lasagna in the oven and a 2-hour timer starts and, in that time, told to pick up some toys. This is also when you can put the CD found in Section 1 into the TV however nothing happens (at least not yet, when putting the CD in you get a secret message in morse code that I'll explain in a section below). (Very disappointing considering there is only one ending to this game as of now) When we are told to pick up the toys, if you notice, every single one of these toys are found in the Kid’s bedroom (explained in Section 3.1). This section I believe is kind of a sick way of making the Kid reliving his capture at the hands of John. Or it could be Garfield taunting Jon of what he did, kidnapping an innocent kid and making him cleanup the child’s toys as a mockery of him. After picking up all the toys and the relic, we see quick glitches of fire that spread throughout the house. Confirming that this takes place after the events of Section 3.1 (explained below) We know John burns down the Kid’s house after kidnapping him. Again this could either be the Kid reliving his capture in a sick way or John being forced to relive his actions he made whilst possessed. After picking up the toys we go to the backyard to dig up things Odie dug into the backyard. We find a ball, a bone, a newspaper clipping about a family murder and a child being missing (this will be important later), and finally a dog corpse. The corpse possibly being the dog you kill during Section 3.1. The house is burst into flames because the lasagna burned, and the section ends. It's important to note that this entire section…didn’t exactly happen. As I’ve stated this is more of a recollection of events that have already happened. To understand this section, you must understand sections 3 and 3.1 as this entire section occurs sometime after those events and is more so a dreamscape like retelling of those events. This does not have an official place on the timeline as I am considering this more so of a dream that The Kid or Jon had. I will place it on the timeline below, but this isn’t a very crucial section to understanding this game, other than the newspaper that is dug up.

Section 3: The House

I want to note that the events of the game don’t play in chronological order, and I will put a short summary of the timeline below. We play as John in this section, who after coming to from the Entity’s possession (Garfield) winds up at the very house the rest of the events of this game will play out. We know we play as John due to the reflection of the bathroom mirror when he cuts out his tongue. Here we pick up gasoline (which will be used to burn down the Kid’s house in Section 3.1), the gun (which the Kid will use and I’ll explain further down this analysis), and a roll of tape (which will be used when kidnapping the kid), and the wire cutters (which are used to uh remove Jon’s tongue and cut the powerline of the Kid’s house). We also find a bloody shovel and can infer that the Entity made John kill the family living in this house while possessed.

Section 3.1: The Kidnapping

In the beginning of this section we play as John, cutting the powerline, killing the dog, and the people in the house. The POV then switches to the Kid and we hide in the closet. Again, all the toys in the Kid’s bedroom are also found in Section 2 when we have to pick them all up. Jon kidnaps the Kid and the scene ends. 

Section 3.2: The Symbols

We are now in the POV of the Kid, locked in a cage by John, but not for malicious reasons. John is keeping the Kid in the cage because he is compromised by the Entity, his actions could be puppeteered by it at any given moment, thus keeping him in a cage.  I know we are the Kid because of his cries to ‘go home’ right after the house burning sequence, and also because John leaves cartoons in front of his cage to watch. We ask him questions and ask to go home only for John to not answer (unable to due to his tongue being gone). The Kid consumes the food and drinks the soda provided which was shown to be drugged. We walk through a bright door and pass through numerous symbols. These are the symbols that later on in the game are explained that they’re the only thing repelling the Entity. The Kid attempts to communicate with Jon once more only for him to cry when the Kid speaks. Probably from his guilt, Jon’s guilt for what he’s done is recurring.

Section 4: The Tower

Our POV starts right where we left off from Section 3.s, our POV still the Kid’s and we are watching TV. What is interesting to note is that Garfield only appears when John isn’t around and even refers to John as “his master” even though we know who is really in control. This is where the timeline gets wonky as these sections do not take place in chronological order. I am just explaining each section on a surface level and will sort each section into a somewhat cohesive timeline based on my observations that i am 75% sure is right at the end of my section analysis. In Section 4, John is no longer being controlled by the Entity, it’s presence now moved onto the Kid. This was possibly the reason why the Entity made John kidnap the Kid instead of killing him, a child being much more easier to influence incase John managed to break free. Anyways back to the analysis of this section. Garfield breaks us out of the cage and apologizes on his ‘master’s’ behalf. He instructs us to run up the stairs and grants us something called ‘firepower’ this fire power I believe is the gun John stole in Section 3. Another thing important to note is that, unlike with John, whenever the Entity possess or influences the child, it makes what the Kid is doing seem harmless and fun, the world saturated in color and illusion. Unlike in John’s case with everything bleak. Again fueling the idea that the Kid is much easier to influence and control. We are told to get to through the maze and to the tower and to shoot lasagnas that come after us. When we do make it to the tower, we are snapped back to reality and are in a gas station. We shoot the last stray lasagna before the illusion fully dispels and we see a man dead and the realization that all those lasagnas we shot were all people.  We hear a honk of a horn, who is later confirmed in a later section to be John. Basically, Garfield made the Kid massacre a shit ton of people and disguised it as a game and rides back to John’s house in his car. We wake up in a bed to see Garfield in front of the TV again referring to John as the ‘master’ even though we know he is feigning innocent. We get into John’s garage and read a book with the symbols we in Section 3.2.

Section 5: The Temple

In this POV we are entirely John. We are at a temple and place a familiar cat relic into a box with the symbols shown in Section 3.2, which I will refer to as just the symbols, drawn one the box. The box is sealed and a small ritual is performed that implies John was broken free of the Entity’s control. This section takes place sometime after John was first possessed and perhaps found a way to break free of the mind control. We are never explicitly shown when John was first possessed, but this is possibly the earliest account and this sequence happens before any other section occurs.

Section 5.1: Change of Heart

Sometime after the events of Section 5, John had a change of heart and decided to go back for the Relic with the promise of shared power with the Entity. This is the domino effect of everything that happens in the game. He steals the Relic and drives off before the Entity takes control of his body once more. He comes to after the Entity forces him to murder another family before the flashback ends with John arriving at the house in Section 3.

Section 6: Methods

We are back where 4 left off, back in the Kid’s POV. When we try to leave the garage we are immediately confronted by an angry Garfield who demands to know what is in the garage. The garage has the symbols drawn on the walls, thus is the reason why Garfield is unable to enter. We pass out and then when we leave the garage and enter the house Garfield is no where to be seen. A note from John is on the counter, explaining what is happening. In his note, it explains the Entity who once controlled him is now controlling us and the only way to stop it is at the end of the month when the stars align, until then we must wear the headphones to keep us from listening to the Entity. John warns us to not listen to its lies or illusions and that he is sorry. Obviously he is sorry for killing the Kid’s family and being the one to start this mess in the first place. This is also where we get the confirmation of the symbols being used to protect us from the Entity, with a note on the wall explaining each symbol’s meaning. When wandering in the basement, a note states that if we are overcome by the Entity we will be put into a cage, the same one seen in Section 1. Again this more proof we are in fact the Kid, with John using words like time-out to explain to us the usage of the cage. We go to the bedroom where John sleeps on a futon allowing us the bed. The Kid falls asleep.

Section 7: The Cage

We are back in the Kid’s POV with only ten more days to go until the end of the month. Ten more days until they can defeat the entity. We have the headphones John gave us on listening to music as the we sit down in front of the TV to draw in our notepad. The same notepad that was in the cage of Section 1. We draw about not listening to The Entity, fully trusting John. This happy moment does not last as Garfield/The Entity chastizes us for our mistrust in it, stating that they werent there for the horrible stuff that happened to the kid but John was. They weren’t there when John was at the Kid’s house, or at the gas station, and was the one that freed the Kid from the cage in Section 4. It claims it is our friend and pulls the Kid into another hallucination, beckoning him to come play outside. We are met with another illusion, back at the tower from Section 4, only now we are climbing up it. We fight off bats before the ‘monster’ gets us. We are flashed back to reality to see a scratched up John dragging us back to to the house as we somehow during our hallucination made it outside. The Kid is shown lying down in the cage before waking up and John interrogating us about what we saw before we were possessed, using a notepad. At the end of the interrogation, John advises the Kid to use the blindfold next time we see the Entity or “the Kitty” as the Kid has been calling it. 

Section 8: Means To An End

Once again, we are in the Kid’s POV. One more day until the stars a line. One more day until they can defeat the Entity. The music is noticeably gone, meaning we are not wearing the headphones John told us to wear. The scene plays out similar to Section 7, only this time when the Kid goes to draw it is clear he have lost trust in Jon and is possibly too far into the Entity’s influence, with drawings showing mockery of Jon’s warnings and a desire to go outside. On the last page of the notepad there is a code for a vault. The same vault from Section 1. The Entity commands the Kid to go down into the basement, which for the past two sections have been locked due to Jon being down there. However this time, Jon is sleeping in the bedroom and the basement is unlocked. The Kid creeps down the stairs to open the safe, which reveals the relic and we are thrusted back into another hallucination. This hallucination ends with the Kid snapping back to reality, shot by Jon to prevent him from escaping the basement with the relic and going on another possessed induced massacre, thus killing the child, just one day before they could defeat the Entity and be freed. 

Section 8.1: Devourer of Stars

We are in Jon’s POV after he killed the Kid. Draping his body in a blanket and putting the child in the garage, the Entity begins to speak to Jon. It tells him that Jon’s killing of the child has unleashed the Entity. It begins monologuing on the uselessness of Jon’s futile efforts to defeat it, stating in this chilling line: “You want to defeat me when the stars align? Then I shall take the stars from you.” The Entity then states that Jon shall see the child soon enough. It is revealed that Jon and the Kid are stuck in a time loop, created by the Entity, to repeat this timeline again and again until, in it’s words: “gets what it wants and until Jon breaks.” What it desires never being said explicitly, and to be honest I’m not very sure what it wants either. So the ugly truth has come to light, that this isn’t even the first time these events played out. The Kid is destined to be taken, corrupted, and killed over and over again with Jon’s efforts never being enough to save the both of them. 

Section 9: The Last Monday, Again.

We are back in a POV similar to the start of the game. The saturated house in view, no other house in sight. Only this time, the sun is gone. We are given the same task by Garfield to help him find his key. Only this time, when going to retrieve the garage door opener, it is nowhere to be found. When returning to Garfield he states: “I love playing with my food, don’t you?” 

The End Credits

When the credits roll, a morse code is to be heard which reads, “I don’t know who you are, and I don’t know what you know. You’ve been here before, hundreds of times. You’ve returned to me everyday and everyday I must stop you. I’ve tried killing you. I’ve tried keeping you alive. Please forgive me. Sometimes I want to give up, but I fear that if the voice is free (the Entity/Garfield), we will be tortured more than this. Please please forgive me.” (credit: Mak Angeleezy on YT). This is likely Jon to the Kid or in this case, us, since we the player are the Kid. Section 9 is the start to the next time loop or in other words the second timeline 

Conclusion

The Last Monday is a psychological horror with Lovecraftian elements. We flip flop between different POVs and different parts of the timeline. We have been through these events hundreds of times over, due to a time loop instilled by the Entity to repeat the last Monday over and over again right when our characters are just shy of victory. There is no happy ending for anyone, and despite this, Jon pursues freedom in each loop. To save us and himself from this forever hell. Something very notable and something to commemorate, even though it is his fault for its beginning. Hopefully someday for my own sanity the creator will make another ending to the game because my god, The Kid is going through it. 

Timelines

So…technically there are two timelines or two time loops if you will that this game marks. Each section is set to how I think the events of this game went chronologically.

Time Loop 1

Section 1: Entering the House (this marks the end of this time loop and thrusts us to the beginning of the second time loop aka the loop we play)

Time Loop 2 

Section 5: The Temple (Jon rejects the artifact which holds significance to the Entity)

Section 5.1: Change of Heart (Jon comes back to the artifact with the promise of shared power before being controlled and taken to the house)

Section 3: The House (Jon arrives at the house and collects supplies needed to kidnap the Kid)

Section 3.1: The Kidnapping (Jon kills the Kid’s parents and kidnaps him)

Section 2: Chores (a dream or daydream the Kid or Jon might’ve had about the kidnapping)

Section 3.2: The Symbols (Jon keeps the Kid locked up and performs a ritual on him in an attempt to protect him from the Entity)

Section 4: The Tower (Garfield/The Entity frees the Kid and sends him on a possessed, hallucinatory bender that causes him to kill a ton of people before Jon picks him up and takes him back to the house)

Section 6: Methods (After reading a book left for the Kid by Jon, he is told the only they’ll beat the Entity is at the end of the month when the stars align and is instructed a list of ways to keep the Entity at bay from his mind during their time waiting)

Section 7: The Cage (10 more days until the end of the month and the Entity manipulates the Kid into not trusting Jon before being thrust into another hallucination which causes him to escape the house. He is then  being dragged back inside by a battered Jon and kept in a cage until he is himself again)

Section 8: Means To An End (1 more day to go before the end of the month. The Kid is too far gone in the Entity’s manipulation and as instructed by the Entity, goes down to the basement to unlock the relic from the safe. The Kid is thrusted back into another hallucination before being shot by Jon when he attempts to leave the basement with the relic)

Section 8.1: Devourer of Stars (The Entity reveals Jon’s plans for defeating it were futile, revealing the existence of the time loop the Kid and Jon have been in for god knows how long)

Section 9: The Last Monday, Again (marks the end of this time loop and would be the catapult for the next time loop��s beginning)

Idk what’s with my fascination with characters who get mind controlled but yeah, I think about this game every day

[schm00by]

thign that blew up on twt ig

[schm00by]

drawing imaginary parallels between Micheal and Gregory because I’m insane

How do you think the Mimic felt knowing his “Crying child”/Evan ended up becoming his Micheal? When the mimic decided to take on the persona of William Afton, it knew he had children, it knew of his connections to others thanks to the data it scanned on the circuit boards. So it only made sense that in his own way, he’d begin to make himself alike to William right down to his own family.

Anyways back to Gregory. Right off the bat from the trailer itself, it was obvious that Gregory was made to look similar to the crying child. I think this was done on purpose as, from what I was saying earlier, with the mimic attempting to mirror his existence to that of William Afton in every way, including his family, and with Gregory’s extreme likeness to William's youngest child, it would only make sense why he would become a target, a perfect silhouette to fill that “Crying Child” placeholder even if was to kill random school counselors and code the animatronics to be evil. What the Mimic did not expect was for Gregory to free himself from his control and immediately, in Gregory’s period of delirium, not even realizing he had been mind controlled, immediately knew to come for the source of the one who mind controlled Vanessa and caused the animatronics to go haywire, Him.  I have no doubt that from the information on William that the Mimic has, that he saw that likeness between Micheal and Gregory. Micheal has been William’s foil throughout the Afton Saga (games 1-6). Each time Micheal defeated William it was through trial by fire, literally. (I purposely didn’t mention Fnaf 7 (UCN) because that takes place with William in hell and the Mimic would not know about that lol.) And with Gregory in the canon ending literally setting ablaze the Pizzaplex with him in it, I can imagine the sheer horror of this things face, thinking that the one placeholder it knew not to fill, the only one of William’s sons that it knew shouldn’t be recreated in his own revulsion came through in Gregory. Gregory is the Mimic’s foil, his Micheal. 

Or maybe I’m delusional and far too gone from the Gregory brain rot that is slowly killing me