0phi

At first I was like long shift?? Bro you don’t do shit to help us, be real 😭 but then it kinda made me think. He does just sorta run off into an inaccessible room after he talks to us. What’s he doin??? Is it some super important background stuff for the corporation? Most likely but I’m extra curious about it because of his other 2 interactions which happen with some hazmat guy outside the building?? Weird.

A lot of people, including myself, have been suspecting that Dr Harlow is an anomaly. Of course we have the appearance of him in the window during the pre-game lobby, but aside from that I think this sort of basically confirms it? Or at the very least adds a lot more evidence. A few things he says are:

“I haven’t been the same since. Parts of me never came back.” “The corporation…they saved me. What was left of me, anyway.”

And of course as shown here, “I work for them now. We all do, in the end.”

UM WHAT. DR HARLOW WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT.

At baseline the talk of losing part of him could just be the effect of some accident that changed him or getting completely burnt out from the job- it happens of course. BUT I think it’s actually talking about a more literal losing of himself. We know now from Liz (the new npc)’s interactions that the process of turning into an anomaly is a slow, weeks long process- possibly even longer. Losing sanity obviously has something to do with it, Ron from accounting also mentions people go mad from the job (with the “mad” being the same red when describing anomalies) and ofc when we lose full sanity we lose the game.

I think something happened- maybe it was some accident or tragedy- to Dr Harlow or someone he knew and that maybe turned him into an anomaly? Something before he worked here- because he says “I work for them now”, which signals he started after they “saved him”.

the thought fumbled into my mind a peaceful evening last week or so and now it's rotted me so severely that I don't know what to do with myself.

ok design choices: the cloth over his face under his visor is tucked into his helmet, like that. he refuses to take it off. if i could draw this again, i'd change the fabric on his left side and make it cover his entire neck. he has a jacket under there and he has another swathe of fabric draped over the back of his helmet, tucked into the left side of his jacket and falling free over the right side. he has another part of fabric on his left andddd he's got some funny bandages on his hands and his side/knee. i gave him another jacket/hoodie to wear under his main one because i saw that all the followers had quite bulky builds, kinda wanted to replicate that without making him swoll.

THE LORE

so this is follower Eden, i reckon that he probably wouldn't be such an avid cultist whatever and his moral code would definitely be extremely questionable. he's like 70% more unhinged as a follower because he went off the deep end. i like to imagine that his reason for living then became ... whatever the hell it is the followers are doing in czm .. rather than lenny!

though: i think it would be an interesting plot point if he did still meet lenny and basically adopt her. itd be a fascinating conflict of character cuz he's obviously very dangerous and fucked up but now, what he believes his morals to be, are conflicted with the fact he's obviously not gonna just kill a defenseless child much like his follower bretheren wouldn't hesitate to do... you would think it would make him a weaker follower, less willfully strong to cause harm... but actually it makes him even more dangerous imo. insert about a killer with rules vs a killer without rules here: []

also, bb's place in this AU: what about him? well, i wasn't too sure but i was thinking that it'd be a massive point of conflict as well but I reckon it could sort of be an undercover scenario or kingpin scenario where eden has all this information but works with bb/CONTACT to get stuff sorted and done -- maybe the moles have some secret that CONTACT know or something... dont know...

either way, it could go multiple ways with bb. if we thinking more ship-related, the main one is

eden and bb have a sort of enemies to lovers situation going on where bb has a conflict of interest between eden being a literal fucking follower but also eden seems like a pretty good guy.. (corruption bb arc)

but in all honestly like.. CANONICALLY (to this AU, to me!) i think lenny finds Eden first, lenny goes off wandering or escapes or something but keeps coming back to eden. bb finds lenny, it's a sort of cat-has-two-homes situation. bb learns of the danger that eden poses, is VERY disapproving of her interacting with him but also like... hes her pseudo-father cuz its been years atp. cue bb learning about eden, cue trading and canon stuff. maybe something happens with the cult, they find out eden isn't as devoted or is liasoning with CONTACT and exchaning info.. maybe they try and kill lenny. maybe they DO kill lenny... regardless, eden the absolute maniac goes a bit buckwild. after it all, bb asks eden to join him in CONTACT and cue canon!

AND THEN this idea would lead to some FASCINATING IMPLICATIONS for CH once he's got his memory back! he's remembered himself, his identity, and he learns he was fuckking insane! like a horrible person! a follower! but he had a daughter! and also he was crazy!!! and hurt hurt HURT people!!! which would be SOOOO delicious.

So happy I finished this thing before ep 8 oof

Anyway, the comic was born out of

my thoughts about Caine's model lacking many essential facial features (as if he was never intended to show any emotions) and yet him being literally the most expressive character in the circus despite everything.

me being low-key obsessed with the implications episode 7 left us with. Players questioning everything they've been told and Caine being in the center of it all.

Just to be clear, I do believe Caine is written as a sentient AI who is just struggling to understand humanity and everything that comes with it. And I think these thoughts about him faking his emotions are inherently wrong within a story. He's oblivious and desperate but not malicious. But couple it with the fact that he's been lying about many other things (so far I'm inclined to think it was for players' sake in his own eyes) and that humans have been suffering for a while dealing with a literal god that doesn't understand them... Well, I have a feeling that they will doubt his motives and literally everything they know, rightfully so.

The amount of attention this little comic received is a bit terrifying and overwhelming and seeing all the different interesting interpretations people come up with I just wanted to explain mine own a little better <3

I want them all to be healed and happy, little guy absolutely included, but man the situation is rough, and the odds are against us

(Also please ignore typos, I'm hyperaware of them and even messed up writing my on name, i was really, really tired :') )