#insanity ending

im gonna preface this really quick with: batdr is objectively a good game; with really beautifully crafted scenery and enjoyable gameplay (if not a bit repetitive or frustrating at times), without many gamebreaking bugs.

storywise, however, is another tale in and of itself. certain parts were strong while others (the majority) was on the weaker end, and of course, as with many games, the ending was divisive. some loved it, others disliked it, and thats perfectly ok!

but then there was another ending found, after finding all of the illusion of living books in the game: the insanity ending

it got me thinking, what if this is the canon ending? what does that mean for us as the players?

the classic "all in her head" trope, perhaps?

the idea that I concluded as a possibility is that audrey is someone who became obsessed with batim, and the whole game is making light of fans, especially those that dig deep/completionists. hence all the "oc" stuff and tons of 'irrelevant' characters that have very little built onto them.

if this ending is canon, and not just a joke, then there are a few signs to it.

first of all, the game heavily relies on you knowing the previous game to glean any story out of it, leaning on expectations for the characters in the past, much like a fanfic. also, the 'canon' characters do not show up for long periods of time, focusing mainly on the ink demon and bendy and giving the others only 'obligatory' screentime.

then, there's the mary sue aspect (mary sues are awesome btw). audrey has incredible powers and seems to always know the way forwards (even when she claims she doesnt). another aspect is her 'savior' element, when the game ends she boasts of making things better in the loops. also, joey's daughter- a common trope of self inserts is to make them related to a major character in a major way.

additionally, there are many times in the game that ocs are referenced. an entire act is dedicated to getting someone's drawings back, drawings of their ocs (do not steal). then there's the new butcher gang member, a girl's oc of a ghost- made canon. the conclusion of the game is focused on wilson trying to bring his oc to life to replace bendy.

in the insanity ending, the audio cues are those of gameplay, of voicelines in the game. 'haha, all in her head', it says. 'self insert character here', it adds.

Yes, Mariella has no mouth as for the same reason Stanley has no eyes.