🔪 deep cuts 🔪

lacey games, like amanda the adventurer (explored later this chapter) touches on the theme that a lot of the times things that are deemed inappropriate for kids, happens to kids. preventing kids from learning about dangerous adults doesn’t prevent them from being hurt by them. and pretending like nothing happened or could happen makes it even worse.

im very lucky that i discovered lacey games and started following ghosttundra about a month before the lacey’s flashgames demo was announced and dropped a couple weeks later. i downloaded it from itchio and played it day 1 and rolled credits the next day. i think it was a phenomenal experience that maintains the tone and vibe of the original videos (the disturbing rabbithole of lacey games, etc) while adding more fun elements like having multipe windows open including grace (and briefly rocio(spoilers)) as a narrator.

in lacey’s diner, her trauma starts to break through when she fails at a task. when she looks in the mirror. and when she is trying to hold herself together.

everything’s fuzzy, except the emotions – which are more concrete. that dream/imagination/memory/creative horrible terrifying beautiful location that feels otherworldly, but also your own. where everything is big and scary, but also full of possibility.

now, looking back, it’s hard to figure out if it was exactly how you remembered (i saw the tv glow, welcome home) because memories, too, are ephemeral and can be twisted by human trauma (channel zero s1, lacey games) or a sinister pwr beyond our control ^or comprehension (amanda the adventurer 1&2) (not in a lovecraftian way!!). when the screen showed you one thing and your imagination filled in the rest (skinamarink, we’re all going to the world’s fair).]