DESIGN CHOICES
My collage consists of a black and red outline of Spokeishere at the center, towering above an empty chessboard with his hands outstretched, presenting a Minecraft music disc, Disc 11. I chose to make all of the details red in reference to the armor set he wears throughout the series, which has a distinct red trim. The music disc he is presenting is the same as the one he had left in Parrot’s home to kickstart the scavenger hunt that the episode begins with. The eyes that make up the background behind him are there to represent how Spoke is watching Parrot and Wifies throughout the entire episode as a malevolent, and sometimes threatening overseer. The red line that divides Spoke from the chessboard represents the chunkban, which was marked in the final room of the bunker with a similar red line.
The birdcage behind Spoke both represents Parrot’s home, built to be reminiscent of a birdcage, and, in a more abstract way, the looming effects of being chunkbanned, as it acts as both a simulated death and a prison. Like a bird cage, chunkbans can only be opened, or broken, by an outside force. Those inside cannot escape on their own.
The fanart of Parrot, Wifies, Wemmbu, and Zam that are running across the bottom of the page along the chessboard is to represent how all four of them are playing into Spoke’s game. Each of them are like chess pieces on the board, whether they realize it or not. As Parrot and Wifies work together and complete these scavenger hunts and learn the secret, Wemmbu and Zam follow close behind whilst in almost constant conflict, with the sole goal to kill Spoke. The chessboard also hints to the final trial Parrot and Wifies must complete before one of them learns the secret, that being a game of chess.
The postcard is to show not just one of the many locations that Parrot and Wifies had to visit on their quest, but also the scale of power imbalance that they are experiencing throughout the episode. Parrot and Wifies are just two guys, unaffiliated with a faction, with the sole intention of completing a quest in exchange for a reward. Zam, on the other hand, is the ruler of an empire, and while Wemmbu is just working with him at this point, he is having all of his needs met by Zam. Whatever they do is backed up by an entire empire.
The pop-up windows hint at the instability of the server that this story takes place on. I chose an older look for the pop-up windows because the exploits and glitches that reside within the server are all glitches and exploits that had been patched in more recent updates. Both pop-up windows also feature quotes from Spoke, who was one of the first to discover the exploits and glitches that are now plaguing the world, and consequently experiment with just how far he could go with them. These are also both directed at Parrot specifically, as Spoke seems to be fixated on making Parrot suffer. Spoke refuses to take no for an answer, and Parrot refuses to back down and leave without learning the secret, which is why the pop-up windows appear to be unable to be closed. The first pop-up window at the top of the page directly refers to the confrontation between Parrot and Spoke once Wifies has been chunkbanned and Spoke has revealed that there is no secret. He taunts Parrot over his loss, rubs salt in the wounds, and leaves Parrot with no other choice than to believe that Wifies’ chunkbanning is his fault. The second pop-up window closer to the bottom of the page is a reference to when Spoke first explains to Parrot and Wifies the concept of the final trial outside of the bunker it takes place within. Parrot and Wifies both question his intent, but ultimately continue to play along instead of debating further.
The font I chose for the quotes is to imitate the average font used in coding programs, as this story takes place within a game, more specifically, a game which has had its code tampered with. Spoke’s quote is both him finally explaining the flawed reasoning behind what he did, and a taunt, almost as if he is trying to goad Parrot into action, into retaliation. Spoke wants Parrot just as alone and isolated as he is, and just as others have taunted Spoke over the loss of his own closest friend, he continues the cycle by doing so to Parrot while the wound is still fresh. The second quote is an exchange between Parrot and Wifies, seconds before Wifies chunkbans himself for what he believes will result in Parrot finally getting what he wants, the secret he has been searching for throughout the entire episode. He tries to give Parrot a way out, telling him it is fine if it is not really worth it, but Parrot is tunnel-visioned on learning this secret, and when he confirms as such, Wifies is more than willing to sacrifice himself in exchange for Parrot’s success and happiness. He was brought to this server to help Parrot complete this scavenger hunt, and with the end so clearly in sight, he does what he thinks is expected, or possibly even required, of him. It is only at the end of the episode that we fully realize just how much Wifies means to Parrot, as his chunkbanning sets the foundation for the prison-breaking arc that follows in the next episode.