#veil projects

[sinceileftyoublog]

GoGo Penguin Interview: Opening Up and a Leap of Faith

Photo credit: Veil Projects, Emily Dennison

BY JORDAN MAINZER

You can take GoGo Penguin’s latest album Everything Is Going to Be OK (Sony/XXIM) at face value, and it’ll appear like a continuation of the spirit of their previous material. Moody, abstract, and expressive, songs like “You’re Stronger Than You Think”, “Glow”, “An Unbroken Thread of Awareness”, and “Sanctuary” have a blissful vibe, whether arpeggiated or gentle, free or groovy, affected or minimal. In reality, the circumstances surrounding the record give it a life-affirming quality that’s never been stronger for the Manchester trio. Everything Is Going to Be OK was recorded during a time when Nick Blacka lost both his mother and brother to cancer months apart, and Chris Illingworth lost his grandmother. In the meantime, drummer Rob Turner left amicably, and was replaced by Jon Scott. Yet, the sound of the album doesn’t reflect any tension or upheaval; though times were tough, the very act of writing, making, and recording acted as a refuge for GoGo Penguin. 

That is, with the album’s story in mind, you can appreciate its gracious looseness. “Saturnine” is straight up funky, a mix of bass, piano trills, and pattering drums. The warbling synth in the background of “Friday Film Special” perfectly perches beside its slow pace, like the very birds on a wire that make up the record’s visual palate. The Steve Reich-like peaks and valleys of the title track render it the album’s emotional centerpiece, the complex time signatures of “Parasite” its emotional climax, but even those two tracks exist within a defined world of echoes and familiarity, just like the very studio that acted as a safe space for Blacka and Illingworth during tough times.

Earlier this month, I spoke over Zoom with Illingworth as GoGo Penguin were in the middle of a U.S. tour, that night in Portland. We talked about playing live, both in general and the songs from the new album, what Scott brings as a drummer and band member, and being open about sharing the stories behind music. Read our conversation below, edited for length and clarity.

Since I Left You: How are you finding adapting the Everything Is Going to Be OK songs to a live performance?

Chris Illingworth: It sort of feels like something the audience should answer, really. [laughs] To us, it feels great. We’re really enjoying playing the music. It’s nice to be in a position where not only do we have new music but a back catalog to draw from, where we can pick and choose things that support the new music. It’s been fun developing the technology side of [the new album], making sure things translate to the stage and work as a show. Like we try to do with the album, we want to make [the live show] a journey from beginning to end, having people leave the theater feeling like they’ve experienced something pretty cool. It’s been great fun. The response to the new stuff has been really positive. It’s nice to see that because we had to take that leap of faith with this album, where we didn’t want to lose our character or core, but it felt like we needed to do something different. That can go any way possible: People could love it, people could hate it, it could attract a new audience, it could push the old one away. But it seems like fans have stuck with us and enjoy it. It’s hopefully getting some new people interested, as well.

SILY: Do you improvise when playing live?

CI: It’s a mixture. We’ve ended up chatting about this with people quite a lot, because we get labelled as jazz. It’s a tricky one. [Jazz] only describes us to a certain degree. There’s a jazz influence in there, but equal rock, drum and bass, electronica, and classical influences. We just use what we need for the music. [Some songs] we play note for note every single show, if it’s what the track needs. Other times, there are spaces for us to improvise. Tracks like “Break” have a framework, but I’m pretty much improvising from start to finish, and there’s an ending where I’m playing the head at the end of the tune and everything before that is improvisation on the themes that lead to that. It’s different every show. Improvisation is just one of the tools we can use when we need it.

SILY: There’s an obvious undercurrent of loss surrounding this album, and there are aspects of it that are certainly contemplative and mournful. But reading about the context before I dove in for the first time, I was surprised that there’s quite a groove to a lot of songs. It’d be intriguing to hear that live. How do you find occupying the same headspace on stage as you were writing and recording the record? Or do you occupy a different headspace?

CI: Good question. It’s something we think a lot about when recording, how we feel and how the music comes across when we play live and how we can capture that energy on record. That’s been the biggest challenge. We know that when we get out and play it live, we immediately have that physical connection with a crowd. It’s the same space, and everyone is sharing the same energy. On record, it’s quite a personal thing for us. We’ve written the music and try to be honest and dig deep into our experiences to put them into the music. What we try to do is think about it in a more abstract way: What feelings are we trying to convey? We’re not trying to tell a specific story [even though] there are a lot of ideas and experiences behind these tracks. There were a lot of difficult and good things, and we put all of it into the record. Some of it is quite dark and heavy, and some of it is brighter and has hope behind it. That’s where the album title comes in. 

When we get into the recording, it’s very personal. We’re in the space as a band, and there’s no one else there to bounce anything off of. You put your face in it and make the record. When we give it to people to listen to, it becomes a personal thing to them. I can’t think of a situation where you get 200-300 people in a room and everybody sits and listens to the CD. [laughs] You sit on your own with your headphones and listen to a record, and it’s a difficult thing to think of how to convey it. We have to treat [recording and live performance] separately, but we always have to think about how we’re going to play [our songs] live. We make the record the best we can make it, in whatever format serves the music best. Live, the consideration is made early on, but we explore how to do it best when [actually] on the stage.

SILY: One of the “good things” that went into this new record is your new drummer, Jon Scott. Sonically, it seems like his work is at the forefront of the record. What does Jon bring to the table different than what you’ve had before?

CI: I think the main difference has been the fact that he recognizes we think about what we’re trying to do sonically with the music, as well. There’s the emotional content and ideas we try to convey, and then there’s how we want it to sound. How do we want the piano to sound? Do we want to adapt the treatment of the piano and do things in post-production to change certain characteristics? Jon has a really good ear for that. A lot of the writing was done by me and Nick for this record--Jon had just joined us. It’s hard for someone to join so new and be an equal contributor in terms of composition, but he had a lot of ideas to bring and a very collaborative way of thinking. “Here’s this music, here’s what I can do as a drummer, but also with these instruments and sounds I’ve got.” One of the best examples is “You’re Stronger Than You Think”. When we play that tune, and there’s an 808-like beat that we play, it’s about treating the drums to make that sound, being able to create things that sound electronic without being electronic, while accompanying the other sounds that are going on. He’s very much a team player that thinks about what he can bring as an individual to serve the band and music. You can tell the record something we all made together. We always think of the band as 3 individuals--4 if you count [Joseph Reiser], our sound engineer--bringing their individual personalities to make something bigger than any of them individually. That collaborative thing, Jon’s fit really well with.

SILY: Are there any older songs he wasn’t a part of that he’s brought something unexpected to?

CI: Yeah! We’ve been playing “Protest” on this show quite a lot. It’s one of our favorites and goes down quite well with fans. It’s a good closer to a show. The type of drums and tuning of the drums that he’s got going on, the original beat just didn’t feel like it was working. It was great to see him adapt while keeping the character and the elements of it that belong to the original. He tidied and cleaned it up, and he let it breathe again even though it’s a heavy tune. He was wary that just plowing in there with loads of floor and loads of kick, it would take up a lot of space. Being the kind of drummer he is, it was interesting to [watch him] listen to it and think, “Let’s take the core of what makes this ‘Protest’ and adapt it.” He’s done that with quite a few tracks. That’s what we wanted. We made it clear right from the beginning that we didn’t want someone to come in and be a copy of Rob. We wanted to someone to be themselves. It’s quite a challenge to join a band that’s got a history, the character we’ve built, the personality people think of when they think of GoGo Penguin’s music. The ability for him to fit in and be a part of the band, he’s really nailed it.

SILY: The record has a lot of emotional peaks and valleys. The title track is the centerpiece for me, and it ends with an acceptance phase with “Sanctuary”. Do you try to do the same thing with the setlist?

CI: Absolutely. We started off with a setlist we thought was pretty solid, and then after a couple shows, we started realizing it wasn’t quite doing exactly what we wanted it to do. It’s about having a start and a finish with the journey in between and how each track should lead to the next. There are a lot of good examples in different genres, but in classical music, it’s about preparation. The element of the particular bit of the music you’re in, in one moment in time, is serving its function and saying something but also preparing you for what’s next. If you think about really good collections of music, like some of the Debussy preludes, you can look at them individually, but as a whole, each one sets the scene for what comes next. It’s like a play, drama, theater, or good films. You can really feel when it’s trying to do something in the moment and then jarringly switches to something else with no preparation or progression. It’s something we’re really keen about when playing live. It’s important for people to feel like they have that journey from the first note to the finish.

SILY: You revealed that “We May Not Stay” was inspired by sundials. When I listen to instrumental music, I like learning about context or a particular item or moment or idea that inspired something that by itself is abstract. Not everyone agrees. Do you like to reveal the more specific inspirations behind songs? How do you pick and choose when to do it?

CI: It’s been strange. This time, it feels like we’ve been a lot more open, which felt like the right time to do it. When Nick first came to me with [the inspiration], it felt relevant to what we were going through, the awareness of time passing, where it feels like the people you love you once felt were invincible or indestructible, will somebody no longer be there. The other side of that, new life appears. I had a son before COVID kicked in. He’s nearly four already, which is crazy. You only recognize that the older you get, and we’ve very much become aware of it, and have had to deal with it in a visceral way when writing. It made sense to be more open about it. There are things very personal to us, but at the end of the day, the things that are relevant to everybody, people can relate to. Everybody is going to experience life and death. It’s something we wanted to convey and chat with people about. You want to have that connection through the music. People can still take what they want through it and interpret the songs their own way, but a lot of the themes are understandable by everyone.

SILY: The album title was taken from a sticker your monitor engineer put on a bass amplifier. It obviously turned into a much bigger mantra that’s also somewhat futile: Of course, not everything will be okay all the time. But you’ve found a balance between the mantra and the reality. Did making the record help you achieve that balance?

CI: It did, definitely. It was challenging and really rewarding. It was almost like therapy at times, being able to make the record. It was amazing to be back in the studio after COVID, with the changes in the lineup, to get in there and be as close as we were as friends and musicians. Nick and I have known each other for a very long time, and it’s been amazing to see him really grow as well. He’s always been a part of the process, but he really found his feet and was able to open up on this record. It felt great to be in a position where I had more to react to. “I love the idea you brought, here’s where I think we can go with it,” rather than being the person with the original idea. 

It was incredible to feel how much was going on outside the door of the studio but to be able to have that space and concentrate on music and have a laugh. There’d be days we’d go in with the intention of writing and working and we’d end up having some nice food and chilling out together, chatting and listening to tunes. That’s what we needed sometimes. We’re lucky we’ve got that space we built ourselves that we can retreat to. I’ve talked with a lot of people about what they had to go through over COVID, isolated from family and friends. It’s heavy to hear some of those stories where it was an awful, terrible experience for people. It’s important to remember the beautiful things going on as well and to be there for the people who can’t see that, because we’ve been there. We were there in COVID and a long while after, wondering, “Is it ever going to be okay?” To have the people by you say, “Everything is going to be okay,” you know it’s not, but it reminds you that people are there for you in those moments. To have that support is a big thing.

SILY: As a side-note, it’s cool to hear that some days in the studio, you just hung out, because if there’s anything this record is not, it’s rushed sounding. It feels loose and natural.

CI: That’s good to hear. I don’t think we’ve had that in the past.

SILY: What’s the story behind the cover art and general visual identity of the record?

CI: I’ve done a few of the covers for the band over the last few years. It’s always been something I’ve really enjoyed as a hobby. I like design and art and being creative other than playing the piano. On this album, we wanted to make sure we were reflecting the music and in a way where it feels like a change. We wanted to do the same thing with the [Between Two Waves] EP, moving away from the minimalistic, illustration-based stuff to something different, that felt different as soon as you saw it. The saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is nonsense because everybody does it. You go to a bookshop, and the ones with the beautiful covers stand out unless you’re looking for something specific. It’s the same with a record. It’s the first thing you see before you put the vinyl or CD on or put it on on Spotify. 

We also wanted something to reflect the character of the record. We did a lot of things musically that were new, trying new ideas and taking a leap in the direction of new instruments, technologies, composition ideas, and approaches to writing. We had to do the same with the artwork. Using different photographic elements and processing them heavily, which is what we do with the music, taking something acoustic like the piano and running it through different effects and techniques and mangling it up. The inlay of the record, we have birds on a wire, which is an image everyone can relate to. We didn’t want something too abstract. We wanted something everyone can feel at home with. It took a while to keep chipping away at it. It’s a good thing that I can do the covers and the guys are cool with it, because I’d keep chipping away. [laughs] If we had a designer, we’d have to go back to them so many times. We’d be paying more money than we’ve got to try to get a cover designed.

SILY: Are you the type of band that’s always tinkering and writing, coming up with new songs in between tours?

CI: We’ve been very busy, but ideas are brewing already when we’re in the studio. We kept pushing and working hard with all this new energy. COVID and changes with the band put everything on hold. Not only is it great to get out and do things again, but we had a rest. That was the benefit of having forced time off. We hadn’t done that for years. The creative energy is there again. I sat at the hotel bar last night chatting about ideas we want to try when we get back home. There’s a change in mindset. We’re far more in the place of, “Let’s give it a go.” What’s the worst that’ll happen if it doesn’t work? It’s not the end of the world. There are far bigger things people are having to deal with, and if people don’t like it, we’ll just move on and do something else.

SILY: Do you have to shield yourself off from other media when writing? Or do you let the media you’re experiencing subconsciously make its way into your writing?

CI: There are moments where I have [shielded myself off] that because it feels like you need that clarity and focus. I was watching Chef’s Table, which has some episodes with great advice about being creative. There was one where someone said, “There comes a day when you have to be your master.” You have to think about what you want to say and do. Sometimes, you can let influences in, other times, you need to listen to your own trains of thought.

[macaronirats]

Updated jacket tour!!

(Previous jacket post here)

[radioactivegummyworm]

my fuckass backpack because i js got reminded of the post i made of the very first patch on this thing wow

[earthtothemorguw]

some button pins i did myself from thrifted ones!!

[themindcastlesystem]

Another crackpot "Project: Eden's Garden" theory

(Sunny, they/she) hi again it's your girl I'm going insane again so I'm back with another theory

NOTE: Unlike my chapter 2 theory, which is more cohesive and at least has some Biblical parallels and narrative themes to back it up, this theory is COMPLETE speculation based off of only a few observations - so keep that in mind while reading.

THE THEORY

So uh. Cassidy sus. *points at her* amogus! amogus!

For real, though. Does anyone else get the feeling that she's a bit... out of touch, emotionally? Or that she's the most fourth-wall-breaky of the group, like she keeps feeding her jokes and references to some sort of viewer (whether the player or the literal broadcast viewers in-universe)?

This could most definitely be just a comic relief thing. Or maybe a "streamer" thing, since that's what she's known for - and streamers are notorious for not being totally authentic, especially when they're in front of an audience. It's not like half of their audience really cares about how they feel, or if they're having a bad day - they want entertainment. I could see a character arc where Cassidy becomes a bit more expressive and authentic with her emotions across the rest of the game, learning to let her actual feelings show instead of masking her fear/sadness with smiles and jokes. I would love an arc like this in a DR fangame.

But, personally, I have other suspicions. There's a few pieces of "evidence" that make me suspect her of being the mastermind (quote marks because it's not conclusive and could be interpreted in other ways). I know there might not be a traditional "mastermind" in P:EG, especially since the creators said not to expect canon DR tropes, but just take "mastermind" to mean someone in the main cast that's working with Tozu/Mara/any other killing game organizers, whether willingly or under duress.

THE "EVIDENCE"

She's a streamer. As I said, this could explain why she seems so inauthentic and that's that - but that is ignoring the tangible benefit that her platform would have for the masterminds if they decided to use it. She easily has the biggest live following of the group - while there are other individuals with mass followings, like Wenona (who runs a huge business) and Kai (who has a ton of social media followers), Cassidy's thing is livestreaming. This killing game is being livestreamed. And if the killing game organizers are broadcasting it, it would make total sense for them to take advantage of the Ultimate Pro Gamer's live audience - and this would be easier to do if she was in on it, rather than if they had to hack her account to get a stream going or something.

Her actions during chapter 1. The two most important things she does are: a) kick down everyone's doors so they're forced to leave their dorms, and b) organize the game tournament during which a murder happens. The reason she says she did this was to get people to be more active and do something fun with each other, to boost their spirits. But it is possible that she wanted to force people to be out and about so that there would be more chances for people to kill each other - and/or to keep things more entertaining for the viewers (similar to how she feeds jokes/references to the camera). There is also potentially an argument that she might want to get people to trust each other in a less overt way than someone like Wolfgang or Diana - by getting them to let their guards down. With people's guards down, it becomes easier for a wolf in sheep's clothing to strike. (Hahaha get it because-- *gets shot*) You could even say that everyone's caught in her spider's web and they don't even realize it. (Hahaha get it because-- *double gunshot*)

This fucking picture. (Everything before this was already speculation, but this is EVEN MORE SPECULATIVE!) I have no idea what it means, and I know it was Diana that Wolfgang hallucinated as being his mother when he was in the boiler room, but Cassidy looks even more like her. Like, other than her eye color, she has the facial proportions of Wolfgang's dad and the eyes/hair of his mom. (Haha your mom.) Maybe they're siblings/half-siblings, I don't know. But it does strike me that Wolfgang's last words were "I won't stop until the world knows me as--!" before he died. Which... could mean he knows who the mastermind is, or has some involvement with the killing game, or maybe his parents did and he knows about it ("like father, like son..."). I have no clue, this is just me guessing based off of a facial similarity and two lines of dialogue lmfao.

WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

I don't know. Try again later.

Uh, but if I had to come up with some sort of potential motive for her to be involved - assuming she's a willing participant and has some sort of ideological or personal motive - then... here goes.

The first thing that comes to mind is something Damon says multiple times in the prologue: "Ultimates are charged with the betterment of society." And, well, he thinks everyone's doing a shit job - except for maybe Wenona, because she's a billionaire and runs a big business that feeds people. Basically everyone else, he thinks is totally useless.

Well... I can see a way that Cassidy might feel similarly, but in sort of a reverse way. She's a streamer and a pro gamer with a huge audience - and so far, she actually seems like the least harmful popular figure in the group. Compare her to Kai Monteago - who's a total dunce and who seems to really only care about his own fame when it comes to his talent. Or Wenona - who's a billionaire, a wealth hoarder whose profile literally says she owns over 90% of the agriculture industry and she dislikes unions.

We don't really know anything about Cassidy's platform (that I can immediately remember) other than "she's a gamer" and "they're called Cassidy's Comrades" - but even in just that, there's already communist theming with the "comrade" joke. Though that could just be a "haha Soviet Russia" joke and nothing deeper, I will also point out that one thing streamers are known for doing is charity streams - oftentimes long ones that become widely talked about because someone decided to stay on stream for 24 hours straight to raise money for a charitable cause. Also, because of the live nature of streamers' relationships with their fandoms, it's much more common than other industries for streamers to be publicly put on blast for things like microaggressions or giving money to bad people - something that could easily influence someone like Cassidy. What is a killing game broadcast, but a livestream where all these Ultimates are put on blast - with their first murder motive being cryptic blackmail about some of the worst things they've done?

In my "Cassidy = mastermind" hypothetical, where Damon's hatred of the Ultimate title and the people who have it comes largely from his ego and distrust of others in general, Cassidy could hate the Ultimate title and the people who have it because she thinks they're not doing enough to help others. Ultimates have been charged with the betterment of society, and they're failing. In this hypothetical, Cassidy also puts herself above others and distrusts others - but expresses it very differently from Damon. Surprisingly, much more pessimistically, given the whole murder game and all.

Well - that's if I'm right. I'm probably not. But it's a fun thought, right?

[tophatandboots]

Working with flimsy materials and just going "you know what, for the sake of my sanity I'm going to sew this by hand"

[laxmon]

Day 8 of 18 of the Pokémon/Vocaloid collaboration Project Voltage - "What if Hatsune Miku was a ___-type Pokémon Trainer?" Here Hatsune Miku is depicted as a Rock-type🪨 Pokémon Trainer with her partner Pokémon, Aurorus ! (art by 水谷恵 Mizutani Megumi)

[lyn-ne]

shoutout to the person on yt who told me to draw them kissing

[the-nation-of-today]

BVB Discography // Bleeders Bleeders is the band's fourth EP and most recent release, as well as their first release under new label Spinefarm Records. Released on June 21st, 2024, starting with the single “Bleeders”, the EP ushered in a brand new era for the band. The titular song and corresponding music video were heavily inspired by frontman Andy Biersack’s own love of the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, even going so far as to feature Biersack as the iconic character. Building on this is the cover of “My Friends”, the music video for which was originally released exclusively to Playbill.

[karter-callingkard]

Clarity and Halley preparing to celebrate their favorite holidays. Which side are you on?

[roccooraccoon]

SKYNETTI SPAGHETTI MARRIAGE!!!! And his bridesmaids colossus and AM <3

[m00nb04rd5]

I would like a chameleon and makeup themed moodboard for diana venicia

Diana Venicia (Project Eden’s Garden)

[radioactivegummyworm]

throws this at you and runs away

[randomwriteronline]

Oh btw. Things that make me insane:

this Entire Fucking Chapter never fails to have me going absolutely rabid with happiness but specifically i did distinctly remember that Kopaka smiled in this occasion - not smirked, smiled, which is something that i dont think he does often especially in the first few books. On my first read I wholly believed he would have turned around and thrown something directly at Pohatu's head while yelling at him but no, he hears his voice and his first reaction is Pure Unbridled Joy

He was so relieved he literally forgot that hes the cold distant one and actually expressed an uncompromisingly positive feeling of care. I choose to believe he smiled so honestly that he was literally radiant. Like looking directly at the sun. Blinded everybody in a twenty five km radius for one singular hot second.

And then of course he went SHIT WAIT MY COOL DISTANT GUY PERSONA

[themindcastlesystem]

Beyond the Veil of Hypocrisy... lies chapter 2 (theory)

(Sunny, they/she) okay so this might be my first proper post on this site but we all gotta start somewhere lol

BACKGROUND

In the book of Genesis, Eve was tempted by the serpent (Satan) into committing the first sin. Adam followed suit, and God punished both of them by expelling them from the Garden of Eden and revoking their immortality.

In Project: Eden's Garden, Eva was tempted by her distrust of others (encouraged by Damon, who wears a tie with a snake on it), and she committed the first murder. She was executed - leaving Eden's Garden Academy, so to speak.

So... what happens next?

THE KILLER

Well, Eve convinced Adam to join her in committing sin, right? She took the forbidden fruit from the serpent, ate it, and gave it to Adam. So Adam committed the second sin. But Adam - Damon - is our protagonist here. That can't be quite right.

But I don't think he's going to stay the protagonist much longer. He experienced a much more condensed version of the type of development arc experienced by a protagonist like Shuichi Saihara [v3] - and he rejected it at the end of the chapter. While it is possible that he might continue to resist his primal urges to distrust others, I don't think it's likely - he already had to be pushed out of his comfort zone so much just to consider that Diana might not be the killer in chapter 1, and now his only confidant - Eva - is dead, and on top of that, Diana is still trying to emulate Wolfgang, who both he and Eva firmly believe was leading the class to destruction. "I couldn't hold back my true feelings anymore"; "it pissed me off".

Unless a miracle happens in the midst of this murder game and Damon manages to find other people to trust (not excluding Diana, though it's not likely), I don't think he's going to keep going down the path he started on in chapter 1. The first murder happening means that the chapter 1 festivities (game tournament, co-op laundry, bunk buddies) won't happen in the same manner, and if they do, it'll be through bated breath. If he already had to be pushed so hard just to play some games with the group before anyone died, it'll be ten times harder afterwards. (Naturally, this isn't to say that I think Damon is incapable of trust or kindness - giving or receiving - and in fact, I heavily empathize with him in some ways. But old habits absolutely die hard.)

In essence: Damon is my prime suspect for the chapter 2 blackened, and I don't think he will be the protagonist any further.

THE DETECTIVE

What then? Well, we just heard a very protag-y speech from someone at the end of the chapter, didn't we? It's what pissed Damon off: Diana's "like a chameleon, I will adapt!"

Diana has already had a great spotlight within chapter 1, and she has shown the makings of a leader. She's bright, kind, and energetic; people tend to like her; she adapts to the various situations that come her way. She is trusting of others, arguably too much so, but yet she comes across as mostly level-headed. Her youth hinders her, as she struggles to read the room and is reprimanded for this, but she tries to show the same compassion than Wolfgang - much more organically than he did, in multiple situations. She is emotionally intelligent, able to perceive when others are unwell and offer them genuine care.

Yet, she isn't a natural in her role. When she was forced to bear witness to her friend's death, and everyone and the evidence are against her... much like any normal person, but unlike a protagonist, she breaks. She is traumatized, barely able to speak and holding back tears. She struggles to tell the others what happened to her, even as they seem ready to unanimously send her to her death. It is the kind deed of the actual protagonist that snaps her out of her catatonia enough to tell her side of the story and help lead everyone to the truth.

But I believe Diana has still yet to shine.

BIBLICAL CANON...

Diana is specifically very reminiscent of a Danganronpa protagonist, too. She has one of the most classic DR-esque designs of the cast with her school uniform, her faith in others resembles that of Makoto Naegi [THH], and her personality is reminiscent of Kaede Akamatsu [v3]. While the team behind Project: Eden's Garden has been clear that players should not expect DR tropes to take place in the game, and it can be argued that an early-game protagonist switch would essentially be a parallel to v3, I argue that it's more of a subversion of expectations.

In v3, we start off playing as a lively girl with a kind spirit and a good head on her shoulders, who becomes a natural leader for the cast. She resorts to murder to try and stop the mastermind, completely unexpectedly to everyone around her (including the player, if they don't pick up on the hints that she's up to something). Her death is treated as honorable by the rest of the cast, and she is replaced by more of a typical DR protagonist: a sullen boy with heavy emotions on his heart and a tendency to distance himself from others. His attachment to her helps him carry on her legacy by learning to believe in himself, working with others, and surviving the killing game.

...VS. INTERPRETATION

In my prediction of P:EG chapters 1-2, we start off playing as a sullen boy with distrust on his heart and a tendency to distance himself from others. He is pushed out of his comfort zone quite a lot by the rest of the cast, and he ends up exploring, doing chores, and playing games together with the rest of them... but someone is killed anyway. Then, when another student he doesn't care for comes under fire for the murder, he challenges his base instinct to assume her guilt, instead figuring out an argument that there's more to the story and it can't be her. (Whether it's a logical or emotional argument doesn't matter as much as it seems, as he initially doesn't realize the logical issue and just feels something is wrong; that said, I do like the pathos route much more for this reason.) He is beginning to learn to trust people... until it turns out that his only friend was the killer, and she not only took advantage of him and emotionally manipulated him, but ends up trying to frame him and get him killed. All the while, the person who she initially framed was a lively girl with a kind spirit and a good head on her shoulders, trying to be a leader for her classmates in spite of everything, but being completely shut down by everyone else.

I think that unlike Shuichi, Damon's development is temporary and about to fully regress, and Diana may be a very good friend, but she isn't a universally loved natural leader like Kaede. So, similarly, I think their character arcs will be reversed entirely: Damon will stop trying to trust people and resort to murder, and Diana will have to prove herself as a leader and source of encouragement over an extended period of time. At the same time, where Shuichi retained his affection for Kaede after her death, even knowing she had killed someone, Diana will have to let go of her feelings of affection for Damon to see that he has given up on her (and the others) and become a killer. And yet, she will have to fight on - she has no choice but to live. She won't give up on her friends like Damon and Eva did, and she won't excommunicate them like Wolfgang did. And, even after realizing that her friend not only never trusted her but is a murderer, she will reconcile that with her positive memories of him - accepting that Damon was a complex human being that was put in a despicable situation... and, much like Eva before him, even though he committed one of the worst sins imaginable, he didn't deserve to die at the hands of this killing game's "God".

MARGINALIA

Imagine how much of an uphill battle Diana would be up against Damon if she had to prove he was the killer. He's hand-cranked to be good at debating people, even if he doesn't have the upper hand logically. While Damon has been rigidly logical so far, as is typical of a murder mystery detective, debaters also have tactics like "spreading" - talking so fast the opponent can't process their argument or get a word in - up their sleeves. This tactic is especially useful when the facts aren't on your side and you need to regain control of the room without resorting to obvious ad-hominem and losing favor. (Like Eva did when cornered in chapter 1: "he does want bloodshed!")

Also, this has nothing to do with the theory proper, but I want to give an honorable mention to Grace Madison for making for a good chapter 2 suspect as well. She became friends with Wolfgang, slept with him, and then he fucking died the next morning and she had to guard his dorm room so no one would disturb his belongings. God forbid Tozu cleans out his dorm in chapter 2 to boot. Girl is GRIEVING, and I think people will suspect her out of pure emotion even if she ends up nowhere near the next crime scene.

Anyway, who knows if I'm ever gonna post again on this site. But to anyone reading, I hope you enjoyed this theory, and give me your brain thoughts! Hyperfixation go brrrr

[newdejavuu]

I will probably write about this in more detail later. but while im on the subject of “pre-hiatus/early fob is better than post-hiatus fob” brain rot:

if you look at photos and gifs and videos of soul punk era patrick and think that was the happiest or healthiest that he has ever been. i want you to look in the mirror really closely and examine why. think about it really hard for me ok.