#zee's analysis!

So, I've been playing DW recently, and i've been seeing a reoccurring pattern of characters next to each other.

Specifically Dandy, Astro, and Vee. Theres defiantly more of these around gardenview but i only gathered these four

(Feel free to reblog with any others you find I wanna see)

Its in no particular order either. Since im brainrotted over this game, I started to think about the idea/possibility these three were a friend group or trio of some sort before the shutdown

Astro is friends with both vee and dandy

However, Dandy & Vee aren't friends with each other, in fact they hate each other it seems.

So I got thinking, Why specifically these three? I get it, the poster lineup could really mean nothing other than referening the fact that they're both friends with astro, however, sprout's TOTW video alongside Brusha's in game interactions and lore have gotten a different idea in my head.

In this video, we get the breakdown that the show is part of them, and when things are thrown off script it doesnt feel right. Such as Cosmo's absence to Sprout Or....

Brusha & Tisha's situation

Their ordeal is complicated, and I wont be unpacking that today sadly, but i would like to note its significance. Clearly whether it be a pre-shutdown or post-shutdown or even caused by the shutdown event, tisha and brusha are no longer friends when they were once, or rather intended to be friends. Because they are no longer friends, i believe/theorize this got brusha to take the show less seriously, in tern the other toons as well. Its best potrayed in her interaction with sprout

"You only care because the show said you had to."

That in itself is an intense sentence, but sums up how she views the show post shutdown. Now, what does this have to do with Dandy, Vee, & Astro?

Well, because Astro is friends with both Dandy & Vee, and those two hate each other, I have a theory originally the three of them were an in show trio, but an event (Whether that be V2 reveal or shutdown) broke dandy and vee apart, leaving just astro friends with them seperatly.

I don't even think Dandy & Vee had that much beef in the show either. Maybe some friendly competition. Heres why

Dandy does show up in the winning big poster, but isn't the focus of Vee's frustration, Scraps is.

as shown in this footage, which i theorize to be at least part of winning big

Likewise, in this footsgae, not only is astro implied to be present, Vee doesn't seem to really hate dandy in this video. Its more of a playful "oooh thats wrong!" than frustration.

So why do i bring all this up? Well, i theorize like brusha & tisha and sprout & cosmo, something feels off without them as friends

This interaction implies Vee actively seeks out dandy to try and talk to him. Or deliberately argue with him because they likely want to interact with each other because of their lost show friendship

Dyle's dialogue implies Dandy talks a lot about her in "riveting stories" he says "All the riveting stories" implying there have been many and its starting to get on dyle's nerves

Not to mention just the sheer spite these two have against each other. Theres always a little detail like they cant get the other off their mind

Their shops (theres more in the christmas shop & gift shop but im too lazy for that)

Their easter costumes directly compliment each other.

etc etc.

So thats the theory. Dandy, Vee, & Astro were once a friend group pre-shutdown and on the show that broke apart after the facility shutdown. That leaves one question, why did they break apart?

Despite the idea of them being a trio, its very close that astro and dandy are closer

And vee is still kinda taking in the V2 news

So i imagine that left vee in kind of a spot that made it difficult to trust dandy after the shutdown and ichor operation since it technically was his fault

or so his research implies.

that is why it was easier for dandy and vee to break apart rather than dandy and astro

What does this mean for the future lore? Idk, hopefully more context to dandy & vee's rivalry (please qwel im begging you)

Vee version 1. The TV girl.

I relate to her a lot. She's been a very important character to me since late 2024. She helped me ground my art style and accept cartooniness. And of course, i see my own experiences through her,

Vee version 1 from Dandy's World can be viewed as transmasc or generally through a trans lens because of her relationship with vee version 2, her relationship with her own technology, and relationship with femininity. Along with tidbits of the idea of playing a character along the way.

It's no surprise that vee doesn't feel like she needs an "upgrade" because she obviously doesn't like the idea of "changing"

Specifically change that she doesn't want to happen, yet is a change that is already set out for her, as her own last name suggests. there are layers to this that link with other key parts of her character, such as her insecurities for being outdated and broken, but you could view this a different way.

her name is Vee VERSION 1. She's version. She has a version 2 already planned before she even knew it. This idea of a change to her body and mind without her even having a say in it could be linked to the idea of experiencing puberty. Bodily changes happen to you that you don't want to. growing up is painful.

when i first began to experience gender dysphoria, it was driven partly by experiencing puberty and the changes that came with it. I hated experiencing it. Yet, as a girl, i had no say in it. It made me struggle with liking my body and myself.

I see this idea when i look at how vee views vee version 2.

from this point forward, we shall consider vee version 2 as an allegory for both puberty and gender dysphoria.

Vee hates the idea of being upgraded. She feels like she's more than she's considered to be. she's more than her code. shes more than a machine

being a robot is an important part of vee's character. Its both her biggest pride and her biggest insecurity. She's proud to be a smart robot who knows so much at the tips of her fingertips

She loves this part of herself. Its everything she is. Its her personality, her character. Yet being a robot has its downsides.

Vee being a robot makes some interactions uncomfortable to her. Especially when a lot of this leads back to version 2. Back to the cause of her dysphoria.

these two interactions in particular. Connie noticing vee's buzzing, sprout calling her outdated tech. Both of these stab into her insecurities, and therefore in extension, her dysphoria. Feeding into the idea to many she's just code, some machine

just some girl.

Being a girl means facing mysogyny and other issues. which was another root in my own dysphoria. Feeling like no matter how hard i try, i'll always be underestimated and exploited.

Replace being a girl with being a machine and the idea writes itself.

always will be underestimate (possibly OVERestimated in some cases) and exploited for being a machine.

small tangent, but i don't have much to back this up other than vee's various interactions referencing her gameshow, but an idea that vee, as well as the other dandy's world toons, feel like they need to remain in character. The need to follow the script of playing their character even after the shutdown.

(I say this because according to a gossip, brusha and tisha were friends pre-shutdown and in the show. so they literally went off script)

Experiencing gender dysphoria and realizing you're trans can break that idea. Breaking your own character, heck breaking your own CODE,

(i could link this with my religious guilt but ima just leave that at that)

EDIT: ANOTHER QUICK TANGENT

This could just be vee comparing herself to her rival/leading character/other most popular character but the idea she compares herself to the leading male character (My they/them dandy stuff aside) just feels like something to note in line with the idea of being seen as "lesser" as code. as a machine. as a girl. Linking with gender dysphoria and comparing yourself to who you'd like to be

Back to where we left off, the final part of this. Vee is not traditionally feminine. The only thing really traditionally fem about her is her eyelashes. This on its own does NOT mean vee is trans. anyone can dress outside gender norms while still being cis.

But, keep this in mind. Vee is the only girl main who isn't traditionally feminine.

Bobette has long eyelashes, and her sweater isnt exactly fem, but still is something

Shelly wears an overall style dress

bassie is in a full dress

that leaves vee. with just a bowtie.

bowties themselves are a traditionally masculine piece of clothing. Vee is not a traditional girl, and she doesn't intend to be. She's happy being a cool gameshow host. She's happy being non-feminine.

None of her skins really show her as traditionally feminine either.

She's already taking her time to explore her gender expression within the confines of her character. It's like little bits of gender euphoria within the confines of being still viewed as a girl by most family and friends.

this last point is the closet to my own experience with being transmasc. Im still mostly in the closet except to a small handful of people and my online space. Being able to show my masculinity in small bits outside of these spaces make me so eurphoric. It fills me with confidence and joy even if its something little like wearing a suit to a professional speech.

Fittingly, when i was going to perform in a play, i was originally going to wear a bowtie for that character. Because the character wasn't human. They were a computer program. I didn't know i was trans then, but i feel like that bowtie helped me see it, even if i didn't wear it in the final production, nor did i discover i was trans until 3 years afterwards.

Vee and her bowtie is very important to me. Although not the major part of this analysis, the closest to my own experience.