#Wandersong spoilers

[maroisedot]

One of my first thoughts upon meeting Loop was that they would be BESTIES with Eyala. Like literally gossiping about the universe kinda besties. Love that for them.

(I drew this back when I was still in act 2)

(you know... before the horrors)

[songwings]

HAPPY ECLIPSE DAY!!!!!!!!!!! WHEREVER YOU ARE!

[feliciadraws]

*WANDERSONG SPOILERS*

I wanna talk about Audrey, the so-called 'Hero.' Now I'm not that good at writing or posting meta but man oh MAN Audrey is actually so much more interesting than I initially took her to be; she's actually deeply insecure about not only herself but how the world perceives her AND has a skewed, dare I say, SUPERFICIAL, idea of what it means to truly be the hero. She primarily sees it as a role she has to play or fulfill, rather than something someone chooses to be, and while she "knows" herself to be the hero, she doesn't actually BELIEVE she is A hero in herself. Even further is that she WANTS to be The Hero but is so dyed in the proverbial wool in both her insecurities and her perception of her role as The Hero that she doesn't want to stop, she wants to fulfill the role she was given so bad that she broke her promise to the Bard when she said she wouldn't kill anymore Overseer spirits upon killing the King of Hearts because, how she sees it, 'that's how it is.' What was interesting is that Audrey spoke about her dislike of being told what to do and where to go when Eyala was acting as her guide, that she found it demeaning that she couldn't think or act for herself, but was that her interpretation of being told to back down by Eyala? After all, Eyala did mention to the Bard that when she warned Audrey, Audrey felt that Eyala was 'taking something away from her', and that something was the role of The Hero, without which she would still be a nobody that no one saw or knew or cared about.

She wants to be the Hero and is so attached to that role and the adoration it had brought her and wants to fulfill that role because she believes that what truly makes her and that without the title of Hero and the Sword and the powers, she can't be A hero. Her insecurities tell her that she can't be A hero outside of being THE Hero, and she can't understand not only how the Bard had gotten so far but how he continues to have hope, despite his own innate feelings of despondence and his own melancholy. But he keeps going because of his hope, hope that he can still save the world and that there is always another, better way, a way that one can choose. A different way to be a hero, if you will. And I personally think that the Bard's approach to being a hero, it's confounding to Audrey for many reasons, one of those being that he wasn't chosen by anyone or anything to be a hero per se, but he chose to be a hero HIMSELF, despite everything acting against him, including Audrey herself. The Bard admitted he's jealous of Audrey being chosen to be the hero and her sword and her powers, not knowing that his innate goodness and his CHOICE to be good make him a hero, without the need for a sword or a title or a higher calling.

I honestly love how Wandersong toys with the definition of the word 'hero', and not only subverts the typical fantasy RPG hero archetype with Audrey, right down to the outfit and the magic sword, but DOUBLE subverts her; she could have been a twist villain who was simply a villain masquerading as a hero, but even this was subverted by making her not a hero, but not quite a villain either, but an insecure girl who sees herself as a nobody and is so obsessed with fulfilling a role that makes her a somebody that she's going to end up destroying the world and herself (both figuratively and literally), but is blinded by her self-perception and insecurities so that she can't see anything within herself that's heroic, making her both a mirror and a foil for the Bard.

I'm not sure where I was going and I know Wandersong isn't the first game to do this but I love how it was done here so far (I'm starting Act Seven), not least because I hated Audrey at first but she's actually growing on me, as much as I hate to admit it, not least that she actually resonates with me much more now this revelation has come about. I was pleasantly surprised and now I want to study this girlfail mess of a human being under a microscope.

[bugsmoverocks]

I do a little chuckle every time I read this now. Haha........that's me......

[magicwhiskers29]

I can't believe I haven't talked about this before, but augh, I've been rotating stuff about the Beast at Ichor Mountain and Audrey in the brain -- namely how I think you can draw some interesting parallels between the King of Hearts and Audrey.

Firstly, to get it out of the way, the nomenclature Audrey Redheart. Who is the beast at Ichor Mountain? The names clearly link our two suspects, and I think it's interesting that Audrey is one of notably few characters to actually have a given surname, in this game. Miriam doesn't. The Bard doesn't. Heck, none of Hala's family do, because they don't need a surname to remind you they're all related. (Iirc, Audrey may actually be the only Wandersong character with a surname!) So why Audrey?

Why Audrey, the character who gets referred to by her epithet, the Hero, more than her name anyway?

Because it's important, of course. For one, it gives Audrey a stronger sense of identity, specifically of the identity Audrey worries people won't care about her for. Audrey tells us her own surname, clearly indicating that she thinks important you know exactly who she is. But also, and more importantly for what I want to talk about, what it means.

It identifies red as Audrey's colour, suggesting a sense of strength. And I don't specifically mean physically -- rather, because it's paired with "heart", I'd interpret it to be implying strong emotions which, yeah, tracks. Audrey is angry throughout the game just as much as she's smug or entitled. I think it's even that anger that defines her more, because the haughty attitude is an act to play up being the Hero, whereas her anger at the Bard and Miriam for interfering comes from a very genuine place of fear.

Contrast this to the King of Hearts, who's established to be represented by pink, along with a lot of the rest of Ichor Mountain. Or, namely, the outside of Ichor Mountain and the core. At the heart of the mountain is the Overseer's palace, pink like him. And he was initially kind, the kind of happy-go-lucky guy we see the Heart Fairy to be, presumably. A very different kind of strong emotion. So he's the heart of the mountain. Okay, then he must be the "Beast at Ichor Mountain", right?

I think the phrasing of this act's name is interesting. It's not the Beast of Ichor Mountain, or the Beast on Ichor Mountain, but the Beast at Ichor Mountain. It's incidental. The beast isn't necessarily a native; they're just there, the beast who's found themself haunting the mountain named after the blood of the gods.

So I'll ask again. Who is the Beast at Ichor Mountain?

Well, it's Audrey. The King of Hearts is scary. He chases you down, fights against you, snarls at you, and enacts horror movie tropes on you, but we know what he's supposed to be like because we meet the Heart Fairy -- the next Overseer of Hearts. And we see this in the King of Hearts when the Bard sings to him, and it works, somehow it works, to start calming him down. The Bard, ever the bleeding heart, does what they do best, and offers the King of Hearts their heart and soul in the form of a song, and it works!

Until Audrey cuts him down. Audrey, who's decided to devote herself to a mission that has to go against what her heart says, because we know her motivation for ending the world, and it's not because she believes in the cause, cuts down the King of Hearts in the middle of a mutual display of unconditional love and compassion. Audrey, who sat there at the heart of mountain finally confessing that she's being Eya's champion to end the world and finally escape being Audrey Redheart, a nobody, and promised right there to give compassion a chance and face her struggles rather than clinging to more than just a self-sabotaging, but a world-ending lifeline, kills the King of Hearts.

Audrey only allows herself to be vulnerable without her sword. She needs it to feel important and powerful, and only allows herself to feel things about her mission, and process things about herself, when she can't just go slicing through hoards of monsters to earn some surface-level adoration and praise from people she never stops to make an actual connection with. So when she gets it back... She can't return to being Audrey Redheart, someone who maybe could have fitted in on Ichor Mountain had she listened to the Bard and continued to follow their example. She has to be the Hero, even if that's the hero who becomes the beast at the mountain.

And because this is Wandersong, let's do a little musical analysis.

04:46-05:10, specifically. Why? This is the mash-up of the Heart and Hero motifs. Overpoweringly, we can hear the Hero motif blaring on guitars in the foreground, but also the sure and steady Heart motif from the Heart Fairy's theme in the background. The Hero motif is stronger because Audrey is clinging to it, absolutely, but also because two people are using it. And they always have been.

The Hero motif is first used in the prologue to be just that, a theme for the Hero. But then the Bard reclaims it in Chapter 2 for "I wanna be the Hero", and also "I'm going with you". These are the times the player is going to first notice it, because it's shown to them so clearly! It's only associated with the Hero, and Audrey, again later on, because it's a concept, not a person. It's a concept any character can cling to, and unlike the Bard, it's Audrey's whole identity. It becomes her motif by force.

So in this piece where it's used, it's Audrey, or more accurately, the Hero, vs the King of Hearts. And the music already shows us who will win. We've discussed which motif is played stronger.

So who is the Beast at Ichor Mountain? She's the one who takes her sword in hand and tries to slice her way through the heart of Ichor Mountain.

[mxdraws]

Some au sketches lesss gooo (reference for the last image under the cut

[the-valiant-valkyrie]

🫵 WANDERSONG SPOILERS AHEAD so don't look at this if u haven't played the game. also you should play the game

i had no idea how to explain this beyond creating a video that literally highlights when and where it happens. but considering that kiwi's own motif comes in when they embody the hero theme. and we have a completely untarnished version of the hero's theme at our disposal. and audrey's version of the hero theme doesn't match either of them. i think audrey may have had a motif of her own this entire time. one that just went completely unnoticed because our version of the game doesn't center around her.

[dragontamerkiwi]

Funny thing is that Wandersong did it first

[noonbeam17]

we just tasked your boyfriend with killing all the overseers to save the world, but he's not actually gonna be saving the world, he's gonna be ending it. yeah he's currently on the other side of the world right now trying to find the overseer song. youre never gonna see him again. and also in a few days youre never gonna see you or anything else again. sorry about that

[nihiltism]

once again posting this because . gestures. everything comes back to live a live

[maroisedot]

omg that's so audreycore

[songwings]

what if i just drew a dream king

[feliciadraws]

*WANDERSONG SPOILERS*

Okay excuse me while I scream for a bit Man oh MAN there is so much to unpack here;

I'm currently in the Crater in Mohabumi (I think it's called) in the kingdom of Chaandesh, and this is one of the most simultaneously interesting and heartbreaking moments of the game I think, not least after seeing and hearing about the war between Chaandesh and Rulle from both sides and how this war is affecting the people of Chaandesh, who it seems have actually been needlessly vilified by Rulle to the point where Hala ended up running away and getting herself KILLED because she wanted the war to stop and no-one would listen to her- Okay so- Miriam and the Bard talking and dancing in the Crater about themselves and how Miriam's been on a semi-existential, soul-searching journey of her own while the Bard's been on his own quest, and how she admitted that she actually admires the Bard's positivity in spite of not being the hero and his happiness and sureness with himself, but the Bard admitted to her that he himself actually tries hard to be positive despite feeling immense sadness in himself over not being the hero (as evidenced with his depressive spell in the aftermath of his discovery of the truth and mission to shut down the toy factory in Chismest Town) and that how the so-called hero herself is still running around killing Overseers and how nothing he does or will do will matter in the long run, but nevertheless he still pushes on and keeps trying... And how Miriam admitted to him that she admires that about him, against the weight of the uncertainty she feels within herself...

This is...I'm losing my freaking mind over here and my heart hurts and I've got the game running in the background as I'm typing this and I'm in both my thoughts and my feels as the Crater theme plays in my headphones...

The Crater theme is an actual banger by the way, great to have a mini existential mulling to.

[samthecookielord]

Can I add something?

Luke is also the hero. The prophecy wasn't specific enough so they were both assigned to be the hero

Clive would normally be too evil to be redeemed in the way that Audrey was in Wandering but Luke manages to talk him out of it

Hold on hold on back up. Audrey. Ms (gestures vaguely at her literal last action of the game) Redheart. Redeemed. And Clive is too evil. Back up. Did we play the same games. Gdsgdsdgsshfgfsfh (and i mean this in a hashtag silly way)

(I LOVE AUDREY I LOVE HERR SHE'S COMPLEX SHE'S SILLY SHE'S DISEASED <3 i just do not think redeemed is the right word for her arc shfsdgdsgfhsgfssgdgds)

But shenanigans around the universe getting confused and letting them both be the Hero or something like that sounds fun lol

[magicwhiskers29]

going to ask you about Wandersong, just to mix things up

Favourite Male Character: ...I mean probably the first troll, to be honest. I always found him very fun. And I like the foreshadowing with what happened to his boyfriend. Oh, and he facilitates I wanna be the hero, which slaps.

Favourite Female Character: Miriam or Audrey, Miriam or Audrey... I think that tends to depend on the mood I'm in, but I think you've swayed me towards Audrey a little bit, recently. I have a very special place in my heart for Miriam too, tho.

Least Favourite Character: Like, Elmer, I guess? I don't particularly dislike any of the characters, but Elmer is, by design, pretty creepy, so.

Favourite Ship: I don't ship much from the main trio of characters, so... Probably like, the troll/his boyfriend? They're cute.

Favourite Friendship: Basic answer, but THE BARD AND MIRIAM OH MY EYA. I love them. Their friendship kinda did save the world, since Sapphy only put them up to travel together so that Miriam could have a friend at the end of the world. They just... They put so much in for each other. Imposter Syndrome duo. (or. really just 2/3 of the imposter syndrome trio. looking at you miss redheart.) Whatever Audrey and Eyala have going on intrigues me too, though.

Favourite Quote: Okay, so first, actual serious answer... Cheating a little, but...

"And you'd be a REAL hero! OK?"

"That's not enough."

(Needed the first line there for context, but... 'That's not enough' gives me chills...)

Silly special mentions to: "Down Does D...open the map!", "I'm already in a committed haunting with this minstrel", and the thing in my banner of course, "ahhhh noooo"

(This one was quite hard, actually! I feel like a lot of what I really like about Wandersong's story is more so conveyed through its music and themes than any given quote...)

Worse Character Death: I'm taking this to mean worst as in most gut-wrenching, and ooo... There's a few candidates... Probably the Nightmare King's. Maybe it's predictable by the time you get there, but... I think there's still good shock value on the story committing to it, and well, it is just after the quote from the last question.

This moment made me so happy you have no idea: Crater Scene. Need I say more? I relate to Miriam, and it's really nice everytime to see her just let it out dancing in the face of the end of the world and all of her problems. Also, because I'm awful. I absolutely love Audrey's introduction. That makes me grin evilly, replaying.

Saddest Moment: King of Hearts' death. He was just a good boy :(

Favourite Location: Chismest!! The vibes are immaculate. To me. It's familiarly and comfortably grey and isolated, and I love how the atmosphere there absolutely swamps the act. It's simultaneously lonely and claustrophobic. I love it.

[mxdraws]

SHAPES AND COLORS BAYBEEEEEEEEEEE