what if the laptop in the storage locker wasn't Derek's?
we've been asking ourselves how Derek can still be playing when Avery has what used to be his laptop, how Derek was able to ditch his laptop and use a different computer when staring at the screen is the only thing keeping him from losing his mind...but what if we're approaching it wrong?
Derek said that when he installed Minecraft, the KiY's world was already in the game, pre-created.
We have no reason not to think that the KiY can't just force its world to appear on any computer with Minecraft installed.
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But if that's the case, then why not just appear on the laptop it knew would end up in Avery's hands? Why involve Derek?
Because Derek is why Avery kept going.
Avery is a fighter. Avery is a survivor. Avery is tactical. Avery doesn't move forward without a strategy and a safety-net in his pocket in case something goes wrong. Avery takes in the world around him with quick, assessing glances, and dismisses anything that isn't immediately applicable to his present goals.
Every time Avery was frightened, every time Avery fled, every time Avery couldn't solve a puzzle, every time Avery became stuck in dismay and self-doubt and hopelessness and loneliness...the reason he didn't quit was because he believed his progress mattered to Derek, because it mattered to him that Derek cared.
If not for Derek, Avery would've turned back.
If not for Derek, Avery would never have wandered within reach of the king.
Derek is the explorer. Derek is the adventurer. Derek's curiosity probes beyond the surface. Derek moves forward because he doesn't know what's ahead.
Avery moves forward despite not knowing what's ahead, because he hopes Derek is waiting for him there.
The temptation of a game, a puzzle, a riddle, the stimulation of intellect, is what captured Derek.
The promise of love is what captured Avery.
And Avery was the one the king needed.
Derek was the bait. The lure. The pretty colors that attract the eye despite warning of poison.
Of course the bait must be obtained first, before the king could reel in its true prize.
GOD FUCKING DAMMIT THROW A OTHER BRICK AT ME WHY DONT YOU
