itch.io

Ash briefly thinks on this topic and comes to the conclusion that there's no point in trying to leave because they can't ride a horse (city folk smh). And to be completely fair, if Ash in particular made an attempt to leave town, they would surely fall down a well or suffer some other hilarious misfortune.

But it got me thinking--surely some of the people could leave if they wanted. Even if Ines is the only person in town who owns a horse, the train comes through with relative frequency, so why don't more people skip town once they learn about what happens at night? Come to think of it, what do the train engineers think about Sunshine's Peak? Do they know that the town is dangerous?

These questions, combined with the fact that the diurnal cycle is so strange to begin with, plus Ash's dreams and the things you learn in Moxie's route, make me wonder if Sunshine's Peak isn't just a town. Could it be some kind of purgatory? Is it cursed? Is it a dream world constructed by one of the main characters' minds? And if it's not just a regular town, are people even capable of leaving? What would happen to them if they tried?

You never really know which sunset will be your last.

The core premise of the conflict in See You Next Twilight is brilliant because it plays on this primal human fear, and puts an interesting twist on it. The days are long in Sunshine's Peak, but the town's residents know that once it goes down, someone will die. In real life, we all know that death is inevitable, but we find ways to ignore it; we live assuming that our time isn't almost up. After all, if all our time is spent fretting about death, then we won't really be able to live, will we? But just the same, in the game as in real life, eventually death comes to the people and places you assumed were safe. Depending on your beliefs and your attitude towards the whole thing, maybe death isn't inherently something to loathe--it's a natural part of the life cycle, after all. Still, even for those who believe that eternal peace or a new beginning lie beyond the veil, there is tension in the finality of death. Even if it isn't the end of everything, it's the end of something.

Nobody wants to die with things left unsaid.

"Unfinished business" is a common trope in ghost stories, and it takes a lot of forms. The treasure still unfound, the vengeance untaken, the true love left behind. In real life, the things we leave unfinished are not always so romantic. And this, I believe, is the core of the interpersonal conflict in See You Next Twilight. Our quartet of main characters have all kinds of baggage and secrets, and the game makes a point of repeatedly making one choice in different contexts--will you ask the deeper questions of these people in your life? Will you say what's on your mind? Granted, the way the game presents this choice is usually pretty humorous, what with the many opportunities to eavesdrop, blurt out awkward confessions, and put your conversation partner on the spot. But there is an emotional reality underlying that humor, which is that intimacy is inherently uncomfortable. That may sound like an oxymoron, but I think it's true. People are complex and rough, and whenever they come into contact, there is friction. And the only way to smooth out those rough edges until the discomfort fades is to lean into that friction, like iron sharpening iron. It's not pleasant, especially if there are rough spots on yourself that you'd rather not expose to another person. Guilt, regret, shame, fear, pain--all of it has to be revealed if you want to be truly intimate with someone. So, for many of us, there is a certain aversion to intimacy, and we choose to keep our distance. And yet--the continued desire for intimacy is usually still in our heart somewhere, which ties back in to our theme of inevitable and approaching death. Think of the partial connections in your own life: that cute acquaintance you're afraid to show feelings for. The neighbor sometimes chat with, but have never really opened up to. The old friend you've lost touch with. The sun is setting. You don't know if you'll be here tomorrow. You don't know if they'll be here tomorrow. Are you going to say the things you want to say to them, or let those feelings be taken to the grave?

We don't have to be alone.

If there is hope to be found, in the game or in reality, it can be found in other people. You don't have to open your heart to everyone, but those connections you form with the few you can bear to show your rough spots to will be of utmost importance. Lovers, neighbors, family, and friends. Community and connection are how we persevere in the face of certain doom. In the story of See You Next Twilight, no doubt, these connections will be what allows the characters to solve the mystery, break the cycle, and defy the darkness. Either way, when the night begins to fall, there is no greater purpose than seeking out the ones you love, and offering a hand to hold as the light dims. For even though the prospect of intimacy can be frightening, there is also nothing more comforting than knowing you are not alone.

My attempt at drawing how I imagine Ash. Don't be fooled by their appearance! They were a hardened (white collar) criminal back east in the big city.  Curious to see other people's takes as well, especially for different backstory choices!

This feels so clear that it wouldn't surprise me if it's confirmed in one of the secret scenes and I just didn't see it. If Aspen is not a vampire, then I have been thoroughly and convincingly bamboozled.

- he doesn't have windows in his house (light sensitivity)

- ditto for mirrors (a vampire wouldn't have a reflection)

- in the scene where he checks your knee in the cabin, he spots a tiny bit of blood and seems very flustered about it

- during the party, you can ask him what his favorite drink is, and he says Jose doesn't carry it ("I do not drink... wine.")

- also during the party scene, there's a line which mentions that he doesn't fully show his teeth when he smiles

- ALSO during the party, his body is cool to the touch when you dance with him

- subtle design detail, but he wears that choker thingy that covers a bit of his neck. Hiding a scar, perhaps?

- less certain about this one, but he does ask permission before entering your room. I think the same is true of Ines, but it could be significant

Now granted, there are a couple problems with my theory, which could be chalked up to variations on vampire lore:

- obviously, Aspen walks around in daylight all the damn time. However, there is plenty of fictional precedent for vampires that can survive in daylight (such as the Twilight series, or even the original Dracula novel), or he might be a dhampir/daywalker. (There are also some American folklore creatures which are like vampires in a lot of ways, but also a little different. That could fit with the old west setting, and be a nice secondary twist after all the "definitely vampire" hints). If he *is* a vampire capable of being out in daylight, it's even possible that he came to Sunshine's Peak BECAUSE it's daylight so often--maybe all the sunshine helps him keep control? That could also explain why he reacts more sharply to seeing your blood when inside his cabin, where there's no sunlight. 

- something that puzzles me a *little* more is that he appears in Moxie's photos, which if we're going by the logic that he doesn't have a reflection, you'd think he wouldn't appear in photography either? But then again, those are seemingly magic photographs, which show things that haven't happened yet(? or maybe things that happened and then got erased? or maybe things that Ash dreamed?) Moxie's photos are weird and unexplained in their own way and warrant a separate theory.

If this theory is true, it would also lead me to believe that the second nightmare is about Aspen. Granted that scene feels more werewolf than vampire, but there is the neck biting and sexy undertones (overtones?). The creature in that dream also behaves much more human than the monster in the third dream, so I don't think they're the same. But if Aspen is a different kind of blood-drinking creature, maybe he will eventually turn into a big monster? But I think they're unrelated, and I also don't believe Aspen is responsible for the murders... like I said, the hints that he's a vampire are pretty overt, so it would surprise me if it was that straightforward.

Cue the comments of "he actually straight up tells you if you do X, Y and Z, you nerd."

Dunno if this counts as a fanwork exactly, but I felt inspired to make a playlist based on the demo. What was playing in y'all's heads while you played?