#the bandito letter

[midweastindigo]

clancy | newark | pt 3

[nerdylizard5]

Hues in Brushstrokes

A quick piece with the Procreate oil paint brush inspired by the Aria letter from the FPE exhibit!

[kiitchensiink]

ohh okay i love trench stuff i love lore stuff so tell me. Do u have any very specific headcanons u would wanna share on trench or dema. Whether that be the characters or the actual world im curious

since we're loreposting today let me roll up my sleeves and answer this lol

- Thoughts on the Inhabitants

It's said in Clancy's letters that the bishops mandated Vialism as a belief system, and the way he speaks of it implies he remembers it happening, or at least it was shortly established within his lifetime.

I think that one round of population control was enough for many of the inhabitants of Dema, especially those who knew nothing beyond the walls of their city. Many of them likely didn't need overt re-education, and just passively absorbed obedience through the constant buzzing hum of propaganda being plied into their minds. It's in the water. It's in their blood.

Tyler describes his waves of emotions, negative and positive, as seasons, and the way the albums currently established to exist in demaverse follow along this theme to me; Trench feels like the desolation and stillness of winter, and SAI feels like it exists in a perpetual summer.

However, the significance of this to me is that though Trench is cold and hostile, it's real. The chill on your skin is something you can really feel. Whereas SAI, and by extension Daytime Dema, feels like the commercialism of the perfect summer, the type you see in advertisements on TV; Ones of people dancing and smiling and surrounded by warm colours and pastels. But it's all plastered artifice upon a cold concrete structure.

We've seen both sides; First we saw the cold reality of both Trench and the city, Dema, itself. But the difference is that within Dema, there's this sense of coating this reality with a saccharine overtone.

The inhabitants who are allowed to live within the outer regions of the city itself get to experience "normal" things. They can go to bars and clubs, Clancy speaks of reading about descriptions of a "home" in books which leads him to his awakening, and they are seen to be living in comfortable homes.

However, the only time we saw this depicted was in the livestream, which is clearly shown to be a set. And even moreso, it exists within Tyler's mind as he dissociates during an uncomfortable interview with Sally and Dan... Whether or not this is the actual reality of what living in dema is like, we can't actually know for sure until we see more in the new era.

However, if we look at the previous depictions of dema, such as the VR bandito experience... The city is harsher and colder. If we rewatch Nico and the Niners, the place Tyler is held is dilapidated and brutalist.

Whether or not the world depicted in the livestream is real or not is up for debate but, operating on the idea that it IS real...

The inhabitants likely don't much realise they are being limited. They believe they have a certain amount of free will, despite the fact that propaganda meets them at every waking moment; That they are kept obedient in their comfortable lives... A happy populace has no reason to rebel or escape. Smart dictators know this.

Still though, once a person brushes up against those limits and meets the walls of resistance, they start to realise how small their allotted circle of "acceptable" existence is. They either return to the comfortable centre and keep navigating their known... Or they push up against it, and attempt to break those walls.

Which is what all of us should be doing.

[gremlinqueensupreme]

This is my hub’s idea of a love note:

Yes, his pet name for me is Bloodaxe.

His current bit is that I’m spitefully litigious about the silly songs I sing to our baby, so he’s not allowed to sing them. (He can’t remember the songs, in reality.)

This note spawned an entire series of songs and stories about him and the baby aka Fuego and The Mans. There were songs. There were epic spaghetti western shootouts.

At least they brought me back coffee from this excursion.

[xproskeith]

So, if we do assume that The Line is lore, I have a more positive take on it.

I agree this song is Clancy to Torchbearer. But I don't think it's that he's "lost" (at least not truly) or died or became a bishop. I think this is in Clancy's mind at the very end of Paladin Strait right before he opens his eyes and/or right after.

I think Torchbearer senses that something is wrong/that Clancy needs help. This could be when the bodies fall after Clancy defeats the other bishops. So he uses his power to guide and projects himself to Clancy. In The Line, he says, "I can feel the light shine on my face". If he's talking to Torchbearer, this makes sense. He can feel his warmth and light. And so he sings/calls out to him. That gives us context for the rest of the song.

Clancy feels like he's failed because he faltered right at the end. After everything, he came up short here. So he's apologizing to Torchbearer. He feels like because he couldn't follow through at the end and he faltered. His anxiety spirals and he catastrophizes, so his faltering seems even worse. To the point that he thinks The Banditos would reject him. I have absolutely had that thought before when I struggled with anxiety. Sure that the ones closest to me would suddenly reject me for something I did wrong or not good enough and it spiraled out of control in my head. I think it fits. In spite of that, he's still asking Torchbearer to stay with him. He asks him to stay.

So, my idea is that Torchbearer does stay. He helps Clancy back up. Realize that it's not over. That he can try again so long as he takes a breath and his heart beats. He will always have the support of The Yellow. And he will always be with Clancy, just like his letter said. He will never leave him.

So Clancy is able to overcome that anxiety. And that's when he opens his eyes at the end of Paladin Strait. That's why his eyes or so determined and defiant. Because Torchbearer gave him the strength to push on through.

And when he opens his eyes, he sees Torchbearer right there. Nico might not be able to see him, but that doesn't mean he's not there with Clancy.

[velvetcake96]

Probably far away from “canon” but I see Clancy as a sensitive bad ass. Like yeah he’ll beat the shit out of someone, but he also names any animal that finds their way into the Bandito camp, uses the ashes from their fires to make sure their plants thrive, and will refuse to step on any plants because he loves all kinds of life. He’s cynical, he can handle himself in a fight, but he has a love for simple things and mellowed out for the most part.

Clancy is the most friend shaped of all the Tyler-sonas and I like to believe he’s a little softer because he seems like his own person from his letters.

[mysadblacksoul]

Twenty One Pilots - Overcompensate theories (whoo!)

It's a face of someone who put so much lore in the MV that I genuinely don't know where to start

Pt.1 - MV

So the MV takes place right after the end of The Outside MV, pretty easy - logical Now are we relly back in Trench? Seing all the maps, and the way back from The Outside to Jumpsuit? Tracing back the map? Being welcomed? lol. no

Tyler (or Clancy, am I deadnaming him now???) is using the powers, that were mentioned in I Am Clancy video and the one that Ned gave him in The Outside MV As we can see Bishops still wants him to lure people, to make them surrender to live how the Bishops wants them to

So since Tyler is just using someone else to pretend that it's him we can assume that Josh is also a projection

Why is Josh here? Maybe as a representative of Banditos

Now we play heavily in the symbolism of mask. Of course mask symbolizes the difference between a fictitious identity and a real identity. But here we can see something interesting. If Tyler is taking off his mask he is his true self, yet if someone else tries to take it off you can see a different person

So let's see what the hell is Tyler even doing in the MV itself. Well he is doing both jobs. On the surfice, he is doing what the Bishops wants him to. But actually he is showing people some kind of code. (I am sure that all the gestures weren't just a silly choreography). He is showing them his true self (no mask) and giving a presentation on the secrets of Dema. I believe he is sharing the information that normal people were never supposed to know

Like the lyrics of Shy away, he is trying to "Just break the cycle in half". Break people's belief in the religion that the Bishops created and to ultimately take away their power

And after the lesson in the backrooms (lol I don't know how to word it differently) people have tape on their shoulders. But not only the red one. We can se the yellow tape. The legendary Bandito's tape

But what is the meaning of the end? For me people were so used to following the rulers, the rules and doing what they were told that after changing their mindset about the Bishops they still felt the need to follow somebody. That somebody will be Clancy

other small details will be nine red lights for nine Bishops

Tyler having a symbol for the band logo

So is Tyler tring to break the cycle from the very core? Well maybe, for sure what he does now is a complete diversion

Boy is ready to take a revenge, he even brought his best buddy to help

Pt. 2 - Lyrics

We need to start by translating the intro for sure so:

Diese kleine unheimliche Insel hat mich zu einer Waffe gemacht (From German) - This scary little island has turned me into a weapon

Wir glauben beide (From German) - We both believe

Cette petite île étrange a fait de moi une arme (From French) - This scary little island has turned me into a weapon

Nous croyons tous les deux que nous pouvons l'utiliser pour changer l'élan de cette guerre (From French) - We both believe we can use it to change the momentum of this war

So this is pretty much what we know from I Am Clancy video. Tyler and his powers are used by the Bishops to cause harm

And we already saw that first line, which comes from Clancy’s letter from 2022 posted on the dmaorg.info website.

I created this world / To feel some control /Destroy it if I want / So I sing, "sahlo folina" / "Sahlo folina" - This part comes from Bandito. It could be the call for Banditos, to tell them to beware of what is going on. Or it is the way of teaching the people the special code - which sahlo folina is for sure a part of

Earned my stripes - he earned his position in the city, possibly because of his powers

Bless your ear holes while you react, acting / Gobsmacked - maybe people were sent to this place by the Bishops to mess with their brains, but since Tyler is talking about something different to them they are confused

I feel like I was just here, same twitchin' in my eyes - he started just like those people, brainwashed with no sense of reality

Don't sleep on a boy who can fall asleep twice / In the same night - so he can die twice? Or maybe it is the dig that he is working on both sides, just undercovered

and won't hesitate / To maybe overcompensate - simply, Tyler is ready to kick some Bishops' asses and take revenge for everything wrong they ever did to him and other people

I said I fly by the dangerous bend symbol - the symbol that Bishops were making in Nico and the Niners Mv OR The symbol that Tyler uses (what he makes with his hands) is dangerous for Bishops, because it is a sign of rebellion OR (This one makes the most sense) it's U+2621 ☡ CAUTION SIGN, which was created by no other than Nicolas Bourbaki group of mathematicians. Nico is very important, since in Morph we have the lyrics of "He goes by Nico / He told me I'm a copy". So was Nico the first one to discover Clancy's powers?

And then by the time I catch in my peripheral - the peripheral vision is what you can see to each side or up and down without moving your head, or everything that you can see that isn't in your central vision. The peripheral vision might be the same as the rearview from Choker. So this is everything that he saw in Dema on accident, all the secrets that he cought with his eye. Once he saw them he is ready to change everything

Where am I from? I was born right here, just now / Originated right in front of your eyes - Clancy is from Dema, simple as that. He is the citizen and the escapee

If you can't see, I am Clancy, prodigal son - the reference to The Bible. Prodigal Son is "a man or boy who has left his family in order to do something that the family disapprove of and has now returned home feeling sorry for what he has done". Tyler for sure returned, bus is he really sorry? Or the Bishops made him act like he is?

Done running, come up with Josh Dun / Wanted dead or alive - JOSH DUN MENTIONED. But also comming to Trench with Josh could be a sign that Clancy wants people to see that Banditos are not bad people. Not someone who you should fear

So now you pick who you serve, you bow to the masses - make a choice if you gonna change your life or stay in the circle of madnesss

Half empty, half full, save half of your taxes - again, make a choice weather you're gonna think positively or negatively (glass half empty/half full)

Then overtake your former self - become a better person, better version of yourself and live your truth

Days feel like a perfect length / I don't need them any longer, but for goodness sake - just a perfect condition to make a change

Do the years seem way too short for my soul, corazón / Way too short for my soul, corazón - it is the reference to all the years Tyler lost while working and living in Dema

A wild ride, as always...

[blurryfce300]

ok torchbearer time

so like we need to talk more about torchbearer’s ability cause i feel everyøne just went “forest fic canon haha” and brushed it off like

when tyler called it an ability i feel that wordage constitutes it being in the same category as clancy’s ability, yknow the one where he can be seized whilst alive. thats a big thing, and torchbearer alsø having an ability, the ability tø guide, is a big thing tøø.

but what exactly is that “ability to guide”, as tyler put it? i know people were saying its like a mental thing like he can make people think hes really there, but i think it goes further than that. i do think its an actual physical thing, he can physically project himself to people because remember, the letter from ned specifically addresses BOTH clancy and torchbearer being there. not just clancy. ned saw them both, keons knew they were bøth gøing tø be there. a hallucination wouldnt do that.

there’s the my blood parallels, too, and my blood stems playing at the end, but we have to keep in mind clancy is the protagonist, hes telling the story and this is all from his perspective. so him vanishing isnt him never being there, its more just a way of showing that clancy now realizes it wasnt the real torchbearer along with him since levitate. torchbearer is real, økay. josh is real.

now i have other questions that i, @gonerbird , and @tylerssblurry talked about.

firstly, does torchbearer and/ør clancy know? i think torchbearer definitely knøws, its his ability after all, but i clancy didnt until nøw in navigating. maybe he was told previously, but dema makes you førget things, so maybe he forgot about it.

secondly, do the other banditos knøw? im not sure about this, maybe they do, maybe they don’t. we don’t knøw if this is an ability torchbearer uses før every bandito tø guide them tø the øthers in trench, ør sømething he uses sparingly for clancy and øther peøple he ør the øther banditos deems important to their cause. theres a lot we døn’t knøw and i døn’t think we’ll get a straight answer about it, like most things in this story.

and if he didnt tell clancy, well we can kinda understand why clancy is mad at torchbearer, like you imagine thinking your best friend has been by yøur side før years through all this awful shit, being held captive and forced tø write and perform against yøur will and then having a near death encounter, then discovering you’ve been under attack from an external force this whole time, and før all that før him tø nøt have been there. it was him, but it alsø wasn’t. yøu’d be kinda mad, right? maybe mad enough to start your own rebellion, a more violent one that we might see.

alright thats all i have to say about that for now byeeeee

[f0linasahl0]

so i have been looking through old clancy letters because i am writing that story thing for the twenty one pilots lore to get the worldbuilding. i was looking at things and there's a line in the letter from "022 03MOON 18" where clancy says "though its been years since he last spoke with them, i hope they have not lost faith in the torchbearers plan." and remembering the navigating mv and how the torchbearer that was with clancy during the outside (which was around when this letter was posted onto the website) was clancy really fully seeing a hallucination of torchbearer? if i understand correctly from that, it would've been. he has not seen torchbearer or any of the other banditos for years and it was only him. i dont know if this was coherent train of thought, but i was just thinking that if he wasn't real, this is an interesting part of the letter. really shows that it was a hallucination.

(also i have started writing that story i was talking about in a previous post about the twenty one pilots lore and i am even more excited about it after i started writing it.)

[artist-issues]

Quick question

“WE MUST DESTROY THEM OR WE WILL BECOME THEM AND IF WE BECOME THEM WE MUST DO BETTER”

What?

Is this why he was wearing red at the end of the Time to Say Goodbye Skit?

Is this what he means by “we’re going to use red to win?”

I’m processing this while typing:

I understood the bishops to be different bad thoughts in the bad-thoughts center of the brain. With their end goal being your destruction, and their leader being Blurryface/Nico/Insecurities-Which-Just-Means-Self-Focus.

But now the idea of “becoming a bishop” has become super prominent in the story. The letters are supposed to be written by the citizens of the city who are becoming/already are banditos. Banditos are devoted to the destruction of the bishops. I guess I always took that to mean they want to destroy the whole city—burn it down.

But Clancy’s later letters—where he’s all in on the cause because he’s starting to have revelations about the plan—all describe “burning out old teaching” and “taking it back.”

So the plan might not be to destroy the city? Even freaking though we’ve been talking so long about leaving the city? Not going there, not living there anymore? Because the city is “The Place Where Bad Thoughts Have Control?”

But now we want to take that whole thing “back?” And not just take it back, but “retake it?” Take it over? …Like it didn’t used to be this way, with bishops in control?

Oh, that’s why all the focus on nostalgia. Because you didn’t always used to have all these bad thoughts. The “Bishops” want to convince everybody that they’ve always been rooted in this part of your brain, always in control—but it’s a lie. There was a lie somewhere that gave them a foothold, and they took control, but things can go back to the way they were?

Anyway, that’s an aside—

—the point is, Clancy. Blurryface wants Clancy to put on a robe and replace Keons? Is that what he’s after at the end of Paladin Strait?

I guess you can make an argument for that. “He told me I’m a copy,” and all that. Plus, the whole lie that you might never be rid of your Self-Focus and dark thoughts, that that’s all you are and erasing them would “be like erasing a part of yourself.” Except yeah, it’s a rotting part, a cancerous part, you should want it erased, you need it erased. But maybe that’s part of the lie. The Dark Thoughts go, “you are us, you can’t get rid of us.”

So I can see why in the story their plan would be to make Clancy wear the robe next.

I can also see why that would make sense in a meta sort of way.

If Tyler’s saying bishops are the dark thoughts, and his gift has been music—the good side is that he can exorcise his demons through music, but if that’s all it’s used for, then can’t his image, his music, become entangled and identified with the “demons,” and then if he ever tries to stop making that the topic, that the use, of his music, he’ll lose it? So in that sense, who’s puppetting who—is he killing the dark thoughts with his music? Or are his dark thoughts keeping themselves alive because he keeps focusing on them in the music?

I can see why the bishops might be trying to get Clancy to be a bishop, if that’s what’s happening. I can also see why they’d win, if that’s the case. I just don’t love the idea that Clancy would embrace it and that would somehow be a good end to the story. Like, “now that Clancy’s in charge, he’ll do better.”

I don’t want it to be “now that I’ve understood the dark thoughts, it’s the same as conquering them—and I can use dark thoughts.”

That’s no good. No you can’t. Capture, then kill.

These have been random thoughts.

[floq]

Can you explain what the whole Twenty One Pilots thing is about? I thought they were a music group but from your posts it seems like there's something else going on.

oh you want me to explain the lore

well i'll try to keep it as simple as possible. you see, the band has been telling this overarching narrative throughout their latest 4 albums (although the story does later incorporate themes from their previous albums and they seem to be connected to the lore in some way). the story is about Clancy, a citizen of this dystopian cement city known as Dema located in the fictional continent of Trench. Dema is ruled by 9 bishops which govern the city under their religion known as Vialism, this religion teaches that self destruction (suicide) is the only way to paradise, and encourge their citizens give in to Vialism and become one the Glorious Gones (this is how they call the citizens who give their lives in the name of Vialism). Nico is the ruler of the nine bishops and the main bad guy of the story.

the story is told by letters written by Clancy in which he recounts his life in Dema, how miserable he is living in there, and his attemps of escaping the city [all the letters can be found in the dmaorg website]. After he succesfully breaches outside the walls, he is tracked down by Nico and made to return back to the city. it is at this moment where he sees a group of people known as the Banditos, these are rebels that leave outside the walls, only known as legends inside Dema. they wear yellow tape around their clothes and live in camps within the wilderness of Trench. Their leader is The Torchebearer, he's the character that firsts sees Clancy and who primarily helps him throughout his journey (that ultimately culminates on overtaking Vialism and the bishops). Here the Banditos help Clancy escape from Dema once again and accept him into their rebellion.

it's all a metaphor for depression and battling your inner demons.

the story keeps going from there, but i think those are the basics to understand what the heck is going on, plus i don't want to spoil everything if you are genuinely interested on learning more. I do recommend watching the music videos related to the lore and the I Am Clancy video, that one is only 4 mins long and it recaps the story pretty well.

that's all i hope it's comprehensible,,

[oldiesstationlover11607]

Hello. What’s up? It’s me. Anonymous. You’re good old pal (okay I’ll stop). The Josh drum lesson fic was so cute btw! Gosh I wish I had writing talent. Btw, I’m not sure if you want me to pick an emoji to identify as or if you will pick it, but feel free to assign me one if you want.

So………I had another request………but it’s Tyler this time…..kinda.

Could you do a angsty one shot from when Clancy is in Dema and is forced to make propaganda (Scaled and Icy era. Look, I like Tyler with pink hair okay). He meets the reader (how? It’s up to you. Makeup artist, manager of some sort, etc.). They bond, he tells her in secret about life outside the walls and stuff and sort of gets her on the Bandito’s side. After he escapes (as seen in Saturday), she expects him to somehow get in contact with her again and help her escape Dema, but he never does.

You could end it there or maybe flash forward to the events of Paladin Strait and do something with that, it’s up to you. Thanks for always taking my silly ideas to the next level and making me smile with your work.

Number 16 Cotton Candy - Clancy x Reader

Relationship: Tyler Joseph/Clancy × Fem!Reader

Warnings: Violence, anything related to Dema or the Trench story that's generally triggering

Word Count: 1813 (it’s a big one!)

Summary: Check the request!

PART 2

A/N: I’ll give you the 💛 emoji for the yellow banditos! And you’re definitely not alone anon, I freaking love pink hair Tyler (I have a whole pinterest board section dedicated to SAI and Ty’s pink hair) :)

I’d never expected to be working on ‘Good Day Dema’. My family had a long history with the bishops, working for them that is. I remember when the letter came, asking me to be the talent manager for the next season. This ranged from making sure makeup and hair was done to keeping talent company before the show. Except, they didn’t tell me the talent was Clancy, the Clancy. We’d spent a couple days together, me running him through the show, him not saying a single word but listening to all instructions. He’d learnt the choreography, every step and change for the show, but not spoken a single word to anyone but the bishops when asked. I was escorted to a light blue door in the hallway of the soundstage building. 

“He’s in there. You’ll be dying his hair number 16 cotton candy and ensuring he’s ready to film,” one of the assistants said. 

“Thanks,” I smiled sheepishly before walking inside and closing the door. Clancy sat in the corner of the room, his blank eyes staring me down. I nodded over to the chair. He rose to his feet, quietly wandered over and sat in front of me. I’d heard things about him, how he’d escaped into Trench, and was dragged back here. I’d also listened to the new album ‘Scaled and Icy’, a complete 360 from the themes of his letters–not that we were allowed to be reading them. 

“It looks like they’re wanting number 16 Cotton Candy. We’ll have to bleach it,” I said, grabbing the bleach and color from the cabinet, “You good with that?” His eyes darted up to me. 

“You’re asking me?” he asked, his brows furrowed. His voice sounded exactly how it did on the record, except tired. I tried to hide my surprise that he’d responded at all. I nodded. 

“Of course I am. It’s your hair.” Deep down I knew I shouldn’t have been talking to him like this. I was being paid to ensure he looked exactly how the bishops wanted him to, not asking his opinion. 

“Why don’t you just do your job and we can both get this over with?” he spoke with sarcasm dripping from each word. I nodded and got to work with the bleach. The room was quiet except for the radio which was playing SAI on repeat–it was up to Shy Away. 

“I’m sorry about what you’ve had to go through,” I mumbled, completely unsure if I was overstepping a boundary. 

“That’s the price of attempting to escape,” he shrugged and I nodded knowingly. “Have you ever dyed your hair?” he asked, watching me place the foils on his head. 

“Once before. It was a hotter pink, back when we were still allowed to have coloured hair. Do you remember that?”

He nodded. “Yeah I do. My friends were the reason they banned it. They dyed it yellow.” Everyone in Dema knew yellow was a color of rebellion, the color of the banditos (if you even believed in them). Wearing it was almost an instant detainment, or worse. 

“Ah, I remember that,” I smiled softly, remembering the story on the news. “So the bleach is going to take about 30 minutes and then we can do the color. I’ll stay here though, there’s not much for me to do.” The song on the radio switched to Never Take It. “It must be weird to hear your own voice on the radio,” I commented, glad that I was a manager rather than a talent.  

“Yeah, it kinda is. Especially since it’s full of the bishops’ propaganda rather than my own thoughts.” I had a feeling the changes in theme were related to the bishops. “It’s hard to be creative when they’ve got you locked up and use you for entertainment.” The sigh that escaped his chapped lips revealed a level of exhaustion only he knew. 

“Your letters are so different from this,” I spoke, knowing I’d crossed a line and couldn’t go back. He turned around to face me, a confused look on his face.

“You’ve read my letters? How? They’re not allowed in the city.”

“They passed by me when they were first here.” The letters were initially spread from house to house before the bishops found and burned them all. 

“And… what did you think?” I couldn’t tell why he was asking this. What his intentions were. But I could tell he was trying to piece something together. 

“You have a lot to say about our lives here,” I paused before adding, “and Trench. It didn’t end well for you to end up here though.” 

“That’s because I believe everyone deserves to know the truth, whether or not I’m taken back here and used for propaganda is irrelevant. People need to know the truth.” He was ambitious, I’d give him that. I removed the foils and washed his hair before starting with the pink. I grabbed some gloves, mixed the color and started applying it evenly. “You know, you’re pretty for a Dema girl,” he remarked. 

“Does that mean bandito girls are prettier?” I laughed. He shrugged, clearly showing his perspective. “I’m surprised you’ve still got a sense of humor after everything you’ve been through.” His face dropped slightly at that. It was clear that despite being held in a prisoners’ cell this whole time he still had the spark that made him Clancy. It had to be hard but he still had it. 

“I mean it Y/N, you’re pretty… but you should try to leave this place. Out there in Trench everything is different. The colors, the freedom, the creativity. You’ll never want to come back.” His eyes were full of hope. It was clear he was the right person to lead the rebellion. 

“I–I can’t… I’ve got a life here, Clancy,” I sighed. I wanted to, I did. But if he was caught and sent back here then there was no chance I’d even make it out of the walls. He nodded knowingly. 

“I understand. Just know there is always a place for you at the camp.” I finished up his color, washed the dye off in the sink, and styled it for the show. We continued talking about Trench and the banditos, what life was like out there. I reminded him that the bishops wanted a performance for the annual assemblage, slightly disappointed that I hadn’t been invited to manage him. Once his hair was finished and makeup done I turned the chair around. A soft smile grew on his face. 

“I like it. Thank you,” he got up and pulled me in an embrace. His hair smelt of the shampoo I’d used, vanilla. 

“You’re welcome. I’ve got your jacket over here,” I reached to the side and picked it up, the brown fabric soft against my hands. He turned around as I helped him into it. What he did next surprised me. His hands reached up to cup my face. His forehead leant against mine, a few tears escaping his eyes before turning into sobs, his face scrunching up. “Hey, hey, you’re okay,” I hushed, trying to calm him down. 

“I’m scared Y/N,” he stuttered. His eyes darted left and right, searching for something. I tried my best to reassure him that it was okay. 

“You don’t need to be,” I lied. He had every right to be scared. At any minute the bishops could kill and seize his vessel. It was then that I made the decision to kiss him. It was a quick kiss, an unsure one. 

“Oh so now you decide to do that,” he chuckled before pulling me close and walking us back till we hit the wall. Our bodies pressed together, breathing heavily as our lips danced. I could feel the thud of his heartbeat, terrified of the consequences if we were caught. The song on the radio switched to Redecorate, my favorite on the record. I ran my fingers through his coloured hair before pulling away. 

“You’re going to get called on soon,” I said, knowing that I’d likely never seen him again after today. 

“Ok,” he nodded. “I need you to know that this,” he gestured between us, “wasn’t just for the sake of today. I like you Y/N, there’s something special about you.” There was a loud knock on the door and we stepped away from each other. 

“Are you nearly done in there?” the assistant's voice chirped from outside. 

“Yep, we need about 10 more minutes and he’ll be ready to perform!” I shouted back. I could hear her footsteps leave. 

“I like you too, Clancy,” I hummed, once I knew we were alone again. 

“If I ever get out, just know I’ll come back for you. I promise, I’ll get you out,” he vowed. I embraced him and pressed my lips to his one last time before escorting him out to the soundstage. 

“Good luck out there,” I tried desperately to not cry, saying goodbye for the last time. 

Two years later the bishops had released a search notice for Clancy. The submarine that the annual assemblage had been held on sank due to “an unknown number of errors on board.” It took everything in me not to believe he was dead. The bishops insisted he wasn’t and what would they gain from lying about their enemy’s death? I was sure he would reach out, tell me he was okay, but it was radio silence. I’d removed myself from Good Day Dema’s set and spent all my time in my room. It was the same thing every day, work. Working to please the bishops and brainwash the entire city that Vialism was the only way. Except for one night, exactly one year after the notice was issued, three years since I’d heard anything from Clancy. I was reading through a new manuscript for the show and making notes for the new episode. The air in the room went still, I wasn’t alone. A man with curly brown hair with the underside dyed red stood by the door. He was wearing a black vest and a bandana with ‘torchbearer’ written on it. It had scared the shit out of me.

“I know you,” I stood up, “you’re Clancy’s friend.”

“Indeed I am,” his expression remained blank, a calm and stoic leader—exactly how Clancy had described him. I couldn’t decide whether to hug him or kill him.

“He’s alive?”

Torchbearer nodded. A wave of relief flooded over me.

“We request your presence at the town hall tonight. Please do your best to come. I was directly asked to ensure you attend.”

I was going to see him. Clancy had survived. He was coming back. Coming back for me. I was getting out of here. I was going to get to hold him again.

Except it wasn’t him. He’d seized a boy and pretended to be there. Clancy wasn’t even in Trench.

//

Hope you liked it 💛! I’m definitely open to writing a part two but not sure where it would go… keep requesting tho bc ur requests brighten my day!

[neon-merrick]

Sometimes I just like to think about the fact the pilots live shows pull us into the story as well.

Bandito tour was our intro to the world, of seeing banditos for the first time, becoming part of the world, within dema being led by the torchbearer into trench.

takeover and icy tours were us in dema seeing the live stream event in person, the assemblage performances, and the cold treatment of Clancy behind the blue door.

clancy tour has started with overcompensate, bringing us into the music video in a way. we are the citizens he's teaching, we are the letters we find in the fpe bandito lounge, we are part of this story of duality of recovery of working with instead of against.

I think I might even go as far as to say, in our own ways, WE are clancy. Whether we currently are or are going to be handed the title to continue on, we are part of this story, of the dema citizens, of the banditos, of the bishops, of clancy.

so when the time comes who will you become?

[justachoker]

backslide really feels like a letter from clancy to torchbearer and the banditos and i wanna cry and then die because of that

[hype-old-posts]

i can't post in the community with this account but anyway listen

new theory:

all the mvs and songs in this era are somehow lore related, even if not fully

they reflect something about the lore

next semester is about a panic attack through college metaphors, it also reflects the anxiety clancy feels as a whole now, bringing him back to his memories

backslide is about fighting the urge of going back to difficult times and learning to let go, which is what clancy has been trying to do since he got out of dema

midwest indigo is about the struggle of tyler's hometown, which well, clancy also struggled back in dema and is trying to move on, a cold town with no livelihood

ritn is about insomnia, struggling to sleep and navigating your memories instead. I'm pretty sure clancy mentions dreams in his letters, i wouldn't doubt he also suffers from night terrors

vignette (my beloved) is about addiction and, well, you can get addicted to dema, believe it or not. the dark mv also reminds me of that one line from hype "i don't know which way I'm going but i can hear my way around" and the vulture screech

snap back is about, again, not falling into bad habits and staying strong when seeing anxiety coming back, and reflects how clancy needs to remain resilient so he can fight and save everyone. the way he talks to the mirror (himself with long hair while he himself has it shaved) reminds me of a theory i had that the boy from the lemonade stand on backslide is past tyler, perhaps even blurryface, and they're talking as he notices how much he's changed, and yet the feeling is back. makes me thing clancy might actually be nico

oldies is about growing old and AGAIN talks about past habits, but now it's about getting used to them as you grow older and stronger and starts focusing on the good side, hmm i guess it could fit in how clancy will start getting more mature and starting to realize he might not be able to destroy dema, but that doesn't mean he and everyone can't be happy ig? like escaping in small groups, one at a time

atrofd is about checking in on friends to see if they're doing alright, it also reflects how clancy felt left out in dema by the banditos, his friends

the only ones I can't fit are lavish and the craving, but tyler doesn't have blurryface paint in those mvs

[xproskeith]

Here's a little fic I wrote that takes place at the end of Paladin Strait and kind of takes The Line into account with my theory of how The Line fits into the lore (and also this one about the drumming at the end of The Line). It involves TB appearing to Clancy and talking to him! I hope you like it. Below a read more so there's no worry for a block of text on your dash.

Clancy was determined. He was going to find Nico and defeat him and the rest of the bishops. He was going to break the cycle. He had no problem using the power he'd been granted to swiftly handle the 7 other bishops. He was ready for Nico.

Or so he thought. When Nico burst through that door, Clancy froze. And then Nico's cold hands were around his neck. It happened so fast. Did Nico really move that fast? Or did it only seem that way because he froze when he finally saw Nico? Clancy couldn't be sure and in the end the answer didn't change anything anyway. Clancy closed his eyes, trying to gather himself and what he would do next. What he COULD do next. Then Nico began to speak, his monotone voice distorted and as cold as ice.

"So few..."

Memories of the banditos getting ready at the basecamp flooded Clancy's mind. Before the attack. There were so few compared to what they would be facing. Yet, they were all so resolved. They believed. In the cause, in the Torchbearer, and in Clancy. But there were still so few...

"So proud..."

Clancy's mind drifted to the Torchbearer. His first time seeing him after his escape. When he rescued Clancy from DEMA. All the times he fervently told him about the Banditos and the cause. How he stood there looking at him so proudly when they reunited at the fire back in Trench after his long journey. He was so proud. Of the cause, of the Banditos, and, for some reason Clancy still didn't understand, the Torchbearer was proud of him as well. He believed in him. But this is where Clancy found himself now... Clancy felt the antlers slip from his hands.

"So... Emotional..."

To Clancy's own surprise, he thought of himself in this moment. He thought back to the surges of emotion that spurred him to first try and escape DEMA and of the journal entries and letters he wrote. He remembered being inflamed by the Torchbearer's words and his cause. More so than even the other Banditos. His desire to defeat the bishops and Nico. Yet all he could feel in this moment was fear and despair.

"Hello, Clancy."

It felt like Nico's hands tightened around Clancy's neck. What was he going to do? He'd already released the antlers. He couldn't use the power he'd been granted. Nico had him. Clancy thought he was ready, but he wasn't. He froze. And now his chance was gone. It was over.

His eyes still closed, and lost in a sea of his own fear and anxiety, Clancy's mind spiraled out of control. Each thought led to something worse and darker, feeding his anxiety and despair. He failed. He had failed the banditos. He failed the Torchbearer. He failed himself.

—

Torchbearer watched as the bodies of the glorious gone abruptly collapsed. They fell to the ground haphazardly, like puppets whose strings had been cut. The other banditos seemed surprised, but relieved. It seemed like the battle was won, that Clancy had succeeded. In spite of that, Torchbearer couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t over, that something was wrong.

Torchbearer looked up at the tower once more. There, he saw nothing. No light, no movement, nothing. Something was wrong. A sense of dread filled Torchbearer. There was nothing physical or observable for him to base this feeling off of, but he knew Clancy was in trouble and struggling. Something was wrong and he needed help.

Torchbearer had sworn he would never leave Clancy and he fully intended to live up to that promise. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He envisioned Clancy clearly in his mind and his desire to help and guide him. As he exhaled, he envisioned himself at Clancy’s side. And he opened his eyes.

—

Torchbearer was inside the tower. Or his projection was anyway. Before him, Torchbearer saw the other bishops felled, lying on the floor, but what immediately took his attention was seeing Nico with his hands firmly wrapped around Clancy’s neck. Torchbearer was right. Something was wrong and Clancy was in trouble

Torchbearer quickly looked over the scene and situation, assessing the state of things. He saw the antlers on the ground. Torchbearer knew that Clancy must have relinquished them himself. He could feel the fear and anxiety exuding from Clancy. That’s when Torchbearer realized that the biggest threat to Clancy in that room wasn’t Nico. It was Clancy himself.

—

Clancy suddenly felt a warmth wash over him, contrasting the icy hands of Nico and the frigidity of the tower. More than that, he could feel a presence. It was comforting and familiar. Clancy knew immediately who it was. It was the Torchbearer.

Clancy’s mind immediately spiraled into regret. Here he was, bound up in his failure, and now Torchbearer was here to see it. Clancy was sorry. So sorry. Had he disappointed him? After all the faith he’d put into him? Surely he and the rest of the banditos would never allow him to come back to them. Not only had he failed, but he had given them hope and led them on this crusade only to fail. No, they certainly hated him now. Clancy couldn’t blame them. They should never have put their faith in someone like him. He thought he was ready to face down his fears, but he was wrong. Clancy had no idea what that actually meant. When the moment truly came, he froze. He failed. Again.

And yet, he could still feel Torchbearer’s warm presence. He was still there, despite it all.

“Hey”, echoed Torchbearer’s voice in Clancy’s mind. “I’m here.”

“I’m sorry”, Clancy responded. “I can’t fight anymore. I’m done. I’m sorry.”

Though it was in his mind, Torchbearer’s voice was warm, calm, and soothing, yet strong.

“It’s not over, Clancy”, said Torchbearer. “You’re still alive.”

“But he has me”, replied Clancy. “There’s no escape from here.”

“Just because he ‘has’ you doesn’t mean it’s over.”

“No. I’ve failed. Failed you, the banditos, myself. They could never take me back.”

“The banditos would never abandon you, Clancy. Nor would I. I promised that I’d never leave you. I hoped by now that you’d have realized that I never left you before and I never will.”

“But why? I’ve failed. Failed all of you. You should leave with them while you still can. Believing in someone like me to change anything was a mistake. It’s hopeless. I can’t break this cycle. I shouldn’t drag the rest of you down with me.”

There was a pause. Torchbearer could finally see just how far Clancy had spiraled, how broken he felt. But Torchbearer knew Clancy, perhaps better than Clancy knew himself. He knew the strength of heart that Clancy had deep inside of him. He knew Clancy could do this, even if Clancy himself didn’t believe so. Torchbearer just needed to remind him of that. And also remind him that he is not alone in this. That he doesn’t have to face this all alone.

“Clancy,” began Torchbearer. “Breathe. Stop and just breathe.”

That caught Clancy by surprise, but it did bring his racing mind to a screeching halt. Clancy realized that he really wasn’t breathing and not because of Nico’s grip on his neck. He listened to Torchbearer and took a deep breath. Clancy was surprised at how much something so simple started to ground him. But it still didn’t change anything. The situation was still as dire and the outcome would be bad.

“It’s not over and this is not hopeless, Clancy,” continued Torchbearer, as if sensing Clancy’s thoughts and feelings. “So long as your heart beats and you draw breath, it’s not over. Yes, things may look bad, but don’t let your own doubt and anxiety cloud your view and judgment.”

“What do you mean?” asked Clancy.

“Take a moment to step back and look at things as they truly are. You made it here, to the tower where the bishops were hiding and using their power. You stopped seven of them on your own. You stopped those being seized by them. You granted them peace from the glorious gone.”

“Maybe so, but now Nico has me. I’m powerless against him. I should have known better. I can’t face him. So, in the end, he and they still win. The cycle continues like always.”

“It doesn’t have to be like that. Nico knows you’re afraid of him, of what he represents to you. He’s using that against you. He’s turning you against yourself. In giving in to that, you’re doing the work for him. Reject that, face those fears, and find a new way to stand and fight. Do that, and you’ll be no match for Nico by himself.”

“But I’m just one person. I’m all alone up here. It’s hard. I… I got used to having people around me. People I could depend on… As much as they depended on me. I… I don’t think I can do this on my own.”

“Clancy, you’re so much stronger than you realize. I’ve seen it. I know it. You don’t need anyone to see this through, but that doesn’t mean that you have to do it all alone. And you won’t have to. I am here with you. And so are the rest of the banditos.”

“But you’re not even truly here. You’re just a projection. It’s all in my head.”

“And who’s to say that makes it any less real? I’m here to help and guide you. But more than that, we are coming.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m rallying the banditos to you. We’ll be there soon. Like I said, you have the support of the yellow. We would never leave you.”

“I… Why? Why aren’t you running away? Get everyone out while you still can.”

“We believe in you, Clancy, as well as the cause. We want to see an end to the bishops’ rule and to vialism. You’re right to call it a cycle. And you will be the one to break it. So, we will support you however we can. You’re not in this alone. You never were. So, are you ready to see this through?”

Clancy didn’t understand why, but he felt encouraged. Torchbearer’s words and the knowledge that his comrades were on his way to him to help him, despite the danger, caused his anxiety to fade. Clancy began to realize his anxiety for what it was, false and irrational thoughts and feelings. Where would he be had Torchbearer not intervened? Who was he to give up now if everyone else still believed in him and was still fighting? No, Torchbearer was right. It wasn’t over. It was time for Clancy to see this through to the end.

“I am,” replied Clancy, opening his eyes finally, his eyes filled with defiance and determination.

Clancy’s eyes met Nico’s at first. Nico's eyes were cold and soulless, almost lifeless. Then Clancy noticed Torchbearer standing next to him and Nico, looking at Clancy. He really had been there the whole time. Torchbearer gave Clancy a nod with a smirk. Clancy knew what to do.

Clancy quickly brought his arms upward, slamming into Nico’s elbows from below. Nico’s grip on his neck slipped. At the same time, Clancy ducked, fully escaping Nico’s grasp, and then slammed his palms as hard as he could into Nico’s chest. Nico stumbled backwards, creating distance between him and Clancy. He looked bewildered and stunned at what had just happened.

Clancy quickly retrieved the antlers and assumed a fighting stance again. He glanced over at Torchbearer. Clancy could hear the footsteps of the banditos making their way towards him. Torchbearer smiled as big and as warm as the sun at Clancy.

“Covering you,” said Torchbearer with a wink.

With that, Torchbearer disappeared. Moments later, before Nico could truly recover, Torchbearer and the rest of the banditos breached the doorway. The banditos gathered around Clancy as they faced Nico. Torchbearer took his place at Clancy’s side. He, like the rest of the banditos, also adopted a fighting stance, their torches in hand. Torchbearer looked at Clancy.

“So, ready to finish this?” asked Torchbearer.

Nico had recovered, brushing the attack off like nothing. To their surprise, he looked more angry than afraid or upset. It definitely wasn’t going to be that easy.

“Yeah, let’s do this,” replied Clancy.