“I was never going to be a graceful thing”🦇

Everything takes place in the medium of base game Minecraft. In the sense that all of the imagery is actual minecraft builds. All written information is learned from in game books. There are no mods, no monster, even the final confrontation in reality are just blocks placed to form the imagery of eyes.

Avery and Der only ever talk to each other through game chat. The two of them are so physically separate from everything that is happening because they are literally not physically there. They are just people playing a game. Which is why it is so much more unnerving when they do feel genuine fear or are physically affected: (Avery getting trapped in that loop, Der experiencing excruciating pain not being able to look away from his screen, etc).

The narrative specifically relies heavily on this fact as well. It reinforces this idea that the eldritch/godlike entity is quite literally trapped in this medium. It makes a clear motivation of how it wants to escape to our reality. It reinforces the nature of Avery and Der’s relationship. Der having infinite knowledge about Avery, but Avery knowing next to nothing about Der. Not just because Der is a mysterious or private character, but because Avery literally never knows his voice or his face.

It would feel like there’s no true stakes. If TKIY is truly trapped in a game, just stop playing. Avery can close it at any point. It’s shown he can die and respawn like normal. Realistically nothing can hurt him. But he doesn’t because the same can’t be said for Der.

Der is being physically affected outside the game. He can’t look away from his screen. If he can’t look away does that mean the game is his reality now? With all the knowledge he gained does he consider anything to be important? Well, there is at least one thing he thinks is important, and that is obviously Avery.

And Avery views Der as important for warning him for saving him, even though from Avery’s perspective they are strangers. So Avery is also trapped here not physically but because of his loyalty.

The story isn’t about a minecraft arg, it’s not about characters or personas. It’s ment to be about two real people. And here they are, two real people who refuse to look away from the screen because of each other.