homeland

i transcribed the game 4 anyone who may need it passing thru.. haunting game. made me nauseous, made me think, made me remember. as always, thanks, rook!

1 -

have you heard? they're talking about us now. i'm starting to hear fragments when i hit the crowds. snatches of yarn from mouth of the street.

and that's all it really is now. yarn. a story. because none of them were actually there.

no one else knows. 

like one of the old headlines from before the presses broke down, or.. some small town parable with lots that no one can remember anymore.

i don't know how it started. maybe something intangible crossed over.. a memory.. and.. someone caught it, and.. started talking?

2 - 

i went back there yesterday afternoon. first time its happened when the suns been up. just.. snap right back like nothing ever changed.

like we never left.

saw one of your walkers on the beach. the day had a stiff breeze to it, so it was really moving. back and forth, up and down the shore. 

those things always looked so alive--i don't know how you did it. i got a little bit spooked after a while, being alone and all. i saw a falcon before i left, though. a kestrel. beautiful things.. way off in the mist. it must've been about.. 6 stories tall. 

3 - 

i can't control it. people don't believe me when i tell them about it. i bet they wouldn't even believe- you ever existed. well, i know the people at the post office don't, but they do send my letters, so.. 

hey.

that gives me a thought.

you are getting these, right?

i know you're getting these.

send me a letter if you're getting these-- maybe that'll get the post office people off my back. i wouldn't fake that, they'd-- they'd have to trust me. 

anyway, where was i?.. right.

i-- walked into a junk shop earlier today.. looking for a find, y'know? cuz.. hoping somebody had crossed over recently. even just tile or a cup or..

cuz then i know for sure.. and..

..sorry.

you know the kind of place though, don't you? they must have them there, too. wherever you are.. all sorts of vintage stuff. old newspapers and electric motors and transducers and all that.. 

guy behind the counter looked at me funny. didn't give me any trouble, but.. i went back. in- in- the middle of his shop. woke up on the floor and he was yelling at me. can't tell if i'm there or if i'm dreaming. can't tell at all..

4 - 

i hear from the crowds that they have a new way of printing. manual labor with stamping.. no moving parts, so it's okay. don't like the way it looks myself. the papers all white. looks wrong. brown and grey were just fine, weren't they? not like i was there at the time, though. 

i don't like this place. i almost wrote your name down.. on this letter.. but i don't want them to find you and take you even further away.

switching is hard to control here.

hope it's easier for you. 

it's been about a month, and i hate the sound of roads, the crowds, but no one gets it. they think i'm asking them for money. i just wanna go back.

so why can't i?

5 - 

have you heard? i don't think they're talking about us anymore.. the yarn is over for them. they've had their glimpse, and now they're off to work.

that's what they do here, by the way. they call it work but it's nothing like it!! they don't get anything done. and they smile-- they smile like it's normal and i'm the one to dismiss!! i don't understand it. their buzzing wires, their documents, and their crowds..

6 - 

i saw one of your walkers on the beach today. the beach like the post office, i mean. the beach here is all people and boats and noises. i thought it was just me at first--but it was right there, walking hand in hand with the wind like you used to tell me when i would ask how it worked. i don't think it'll last long, though. moving parts don't work right here. they die. none of their machines are alive. i wonder when it got here.. what else has crossed over?

7 - 

i went back there again today.. didn't last long. i saw another kestral. up close this time. all stone, and moss, and beauty.. slowly moving parts. here it would die fast because this place is fragile. not like home. it's true, isn't it? please send me a letter. please tell me that it's true. that place is strong. so strong. that place is real.

8 - 

*shaky crying* 

why are you sending my letters back?

> end <

Such a beautiful game, I love that I haven't gone and seen everything you've made yet. There's still something new when I need it

Slam poetry with Ada Rook. Honestly i would prefer to just read it instead of it played over after you move like 10 frames down a screen. Pixels look nice tho.

Someday I might take in some art you've made that doesn't bring me to tears in some fashion... but certainly not today. Incredible, thank you for sharing this with us.

That was beautiful. I'm hard of hearing, so I didn't catch everything, but it was lovely.