Nodobyman1997 - Sem Título

venting my frustrations in 5-30 through memes

CONGRATULATIONS

YOU JUST GOT MONOKO'D

SHARE THIS WITH ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS TO TOTALLY #MONOKO THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think it needs to become common knowledge that "inability to read social cues" can show up as overcompensating.

You don't know how much misbehaviour is allowed, so you become the perfect child who never tests rules.

You don't know if someone is irritated with you, so you'll be extra generous and self-effacing.

You don't know how much is expected of you at work so you'll kill yourself in a minimum-wage job and not notice that nobody else is working like this.

"Hardworking and quiet" should be as much of an autism red flag as "ignores rules and doesn't know when to stop talking". Or why don't we just start using words to communicate so i can stop tracking everybody's eyebrow twitches, that would be great.

madotsuki’s

Refraction Railway Line #4 Abnormalities (Analysis)

Everyone knows what a “masquerade” is, no? A dance hall filled to the brim with people in glamorous, pompous dresses and clothes, with masks hiding their identities. They were quite popular some centuries ago, especially in Venice, and… I really don’t know much about them. Wikipedia really helped here xD

Anyway, it’s obvious how the masquerades' elements of masks, costumes and such are tied to the presence of the Peccatulum Invidiae, who don the appearance and skills of the Sinners to hide their nature and goal: to entertain their “king” with everything they have. They will dance, fight, kill and die in order to soothe its boredom.

“I’m sure there’s something that those fakes can’t copy from us. Something they lack. We’re real, and they’re not. There’s gotta be a way to beat those annoying Peccatula.” - Rodya, Peccatulum Invidiae’s Observation Log #2.

“An egoless incarnation of ‘Identities’ manifested may hold a certain resemblance to the way they appear before us. Defeating one of them merely makes a vacancy for another to fill, for they number the same as we do.” - Yi Sang, The King in Binds’ Observation Log #2.

But no matter how hard they try, those Peccatula will never amount to anything, being just pieces to be discarded and used at their master’s convenience. They are empty shells that act only as pale, rotten shadows of what they yearn for—husks with nothing behind.

Nonetheless, their nature as mere “masks” already points out the nature of the Railway, made even more obvious with elaborated platform in the introductory cutscene and the final rolling of the carpet: this is a charade, an invitation to partake in a violent, wondrous banquet in which every guest is an actor that must play its part to their best for the host’s—the King’s—sake. 

Thus, with such mockery of an invitation it gave us, there’s only one way the reception can be.

Good Ol’ Days

“Sad, sad things happened here. Many sad things. I still carry with me my master's portrait because no one remembers them anymore. How is it? Can you see it well?”- Abnormality Encounter.

This is how the chief butler of the manor receives us: with words about a tragic past, and the few to none memories that persist about it. In fact, such longing and nostalgia are the entire basis of the Abnormality itself, with its main palette fittingly being that of worn-out sepia, and its EGO being called “Bygone Days”.

But even with its sorrowful solemnity and loyalty to its late master, there’s something insidious growing in the Abnormality that only makes itself clear when you answer that “you can’t see it well” to the question above and pass the check:

“'I see.' 'If my master is gone from the painting, the memories… what shall I do?' 'What if… one day… I start doubting that I ever had a master…'”

To say such a thing to it is nothing short of cruelty, for you are showing that its memory will one day fade, just like the colors and the figure of the resulting headless portrait that once were there, branding all that it has lived—all that suffering and love of yore—as worthless. It isn’t a coincidence that the Sin advantages of that option are Envy, the yearning to bring down the other along with oneself, and Pride, a total devaluation of the other, stating one’s own view as absolute.

However, just because the Abnormality can forget its master, it doesn’t mean it will simply accept it, as it makes everyone sit in front of the portrait until the missing countenance of its master can be elucidated if the words weren’t convincing, no matter how long that takes. An extreme method indeed, but effective, considering it’s the core essence of one of the two Sin advantages behind the “say that you can see it well” option: a passive Sloth that leads to painstakingly analyze the pictureless painting, without any other intention beyond fulfilling the Abnormality’s “request”. It makes the Butler’s celebration when you pass the check all the more depressing, saying that it can see “the face of its master reflected in your eyes”.

That sadness is pitifully cranked up when we move to the second Sin advantage, Envy, since the Abnormality doesn’t celebrate your well-hidden disinterest on the only thing that matters to it this time; it celebrates you directly lying to its face, about seeing things where there’s no to “save face” (or something along those lines). It makes clear that the Butler only cares about the portrait only to the extent it reflects its “memories” and endeavors, and thus is joyful about any (convincing) confirmation of their validity. After all, if someone declares with total certainty that the portrait—its past—amounts to nothing, what remains for it?

“'If you really can see my master's countenance… that's not the face you'd be making.' 'And those unimpressed, lifeless eyes aren't the look one would wear upon seeing my master's face.' We were quickly deemed unwelcome, and were chased out of the mansion.” - Abnormality Encounter.

And naturally, if it doesn’t like your shallow evaluation (or lie) about all of it has done for the mansion and its late master, the Butler takes offense and chases you off. 

While impossible to say for sure, I think it’s perfectly reasonable to assume that check failure will bridge the MD encounter with the future fight in case the new (potential) option doesn’t do anything, which leads me to the meat of the Abnormality: the fight

To begin, there are two elements in the Butler’s kit that must be highlighted in order to understand it: all of its skills inflict Sinking, and that none of them are Wrath-based. That’s to say, it isn’t a hateful Abnormality at all, but a pitiful one; its sadness is expressed with every swing of its arms and body, drowning others in the deep sadness caused for what was lost. In a related note, its resistance to Wrath is simply derived from the fact that it’s dealing with “interlopers” and not with anyone “special”, thus any sort of enmity is bound to be meaningless before its eyes.

Moving now to the first skills it uses, the most interesting one is “Leave This Place” due to its Lust affinity. In my previous posts, I commented that Lust is “desire for desire’s sake” which, while being useful for the parade of obsession that RR3 was, doesn’t really fit with what I’ve written here. Thankfully, we have the Divine Comedy to help us this time:

“Love, that on gentle heart doth swiftly seize,  Seized this man for the person beautiful That was ta’en from me, and still the mode offends me. Love, that exempts no one beloved from loving, Seized me with pleasure of this man so strongly, That, as thou seest, it doth not yet desert me;” - Francesca da Rimini, Canto V, Inferno.

In short, Lust is the result of the rational mind being overtaken by the passions of the heart—by love itself. This is depicted in-game mostly through characters and Abnormalities that are addicted to “carnal” things or pleasure in general, as shown with Pink Shoes, Kromer, Skin Prophet, and many others. But there are some special cases, like Basilisoup or Sign of Roses, where Lust acquires more “spiritual” undertones, showing its true underlying nature as the extremes to which the lover(s) can be guided by their love, to the detriment of everyone involved.

Thus, Lust is the Sin of love itself: love for love’s sake, desire for desire’s sake, and all the atrocities that one does or allows to happen as consequence. And without doubt, Portrait of a Certain Day has that kind of love for the mansion, trying to protect it from the “sorrow” brought by outsiders.

The other skill is “Don’t Make That Face”, which is Sloth-based. Returning to the check failure of “say that you can see it well”, it seems to be an extension of the Butler’s reaction, and the meaning should be self-evident: everything should remain as spotless and perfect as it was before, when its master was “alive”; anything else is an insult, a reminder that the present moment is nothing more than a fragile charade only keep up by the deep-seated nostalgia of the Abnormality—its refusal to move on.

Those two skills are the only ones that Portrait of a Certain Day uses until the mid-combat Event is triggered, when the Abnormality reaches a certain HP threshold. This is a relatively easy one to understand, with the Abnormality testing you after being so stubborn, asking you to guess which of the numerous Portraits it suddenly summons is its master’s. The second Log is about this Event, and the combat mechanic about destroying the correct one is just a “gameplayification” of it.

The Event itself is quite straightforward, with the only interesting thing being its Gloom advantage, implying that the “only way” (or intended way, maybe?) to correctly guess which one is Master’s Portrait is through understanding the deep sadness imprinted onto the painting—how well the Portraits embody its master’s life. This is represented in the gameplay (and the Logs) through the fake Portraits’ cackles and mirth when using their Evasion skill, whereas the real one simply takes the damage. Though it’s important to note the fake Portraits can still mess you with your mind, with the Event’s check failure showing it:

“[Sinner] suddenly feels the burning gaze of every single portrait in the room focus on them. Each and every single of them holds... resentment.”

This seems to be a translation of the Portraits’ only passive, “Peering Gaze”, which inflict Sinking every turn, coinciding with the result of losing 30 SP when failing. This gaze is referenced by Gregor in the Logs too, when he chose the wrong Portrait.

At any rate, neither failing nor succeeding in the check causes Portrait of a Certain Day to grow overly wrathful, just annoyed/desperate or glad respectively. But the gameplay version is a lot more complicated, since this Event is the source of its main gimmick, the “Interloper” status, with all its passives and the rests of its skills playing around it.

Once the Portraits are summoned, the Abnormality will attach 1 skill to each, either “My Master” or “My Tragic Master”, both of them being Envy-based. The logic behind that affinity is hinted at by the Logs again:

“Oh, yeah. Lemme get off-topic for a moment and talk about the old times. The higher-ups used to make me march in the streets with portraits or pictures of the dead in my hands. It was kinda… no, very sickening. Parading portraits, pictures, or even mementos of the dead like that is… how should I put this? Yeah, it's like we're taking advantage of their deaths, isn't it?” - Gregor, Abnormality’s Observation Log #1.

There’s no doubt the Abnormality loves its late master. But in the City, love, like all other emotions, can be twisted into something unrecognizable and self-serving, used to alleviate the bitterness within. In the Butler’s case, what else can it be besides a tool to prop itself up as the one that protects its master’s legacy, believing it’s the only thing it truly is and can be? Maybe that’s why it’s resistant to Envy too, because who can really feel envy for a sad being that needs the dead to have a “place”?

Anyway, once this phase begins, there are two possibilities: you destroy the Master’s Portrait within 3 turns, or you fail to do so. This latter case is what causes the activation of “Throwing Out The Interloper” passive. In essence, you took too much time and failed the test, with the Interloper inflicted in the earliest deployed Sinner possibly being a representation of it focusing on the Sinner sent during the Event, or how bad of a memory the Butler has, to the point it can only remember the most “recent” Sinner.

In case the correct Portrait is destroyed before 3 turns, the Logs explains us what happens:

“But after that… … the Abnormality grew really hostile and went on a full offensive. It started fuming, like it was somehow pissed off. It seemed to obsessively focus its attacks against the person who got the last hit in. Well, that focus eventually spread out to all of us. I guess all that rage didn't help 'em keep a cool head.” - Gregor, Abnormality’s Observation Log #3.

This is expressed in gameplay through the “Ooh, Dear Master” and “You Must Be the Interloper’s Family?” passives, and the implications are quite obvious. However, the first one is the more interesting, showing how the memories of the past, even when they are no different from a faded portrait, are a stupidly high morale boost for the Abnormality, and their destruction a near psychological breakdown.

With all of that said, it’s very tempting to say Portrait of a Certain Day represents Nelly thanks to her speech near the end of Canto VI:

“Miss Catherine was... difficult from time to time, but I do not wish to deny even the times we've spent together. I even miss the late Mister Earnshaw Senior from time to time. No... I never lived a life full of hate, animosity. I am just struggling desperately to change my destiny.” - Chapter 45: Life, Stolen.

But that’s where everything ends. While Nelly may have wanted to return to that past, it would likely have been only to avoid her destiny, the destruction of her life thanks to the relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine, as her Gluttony and Wrath skills show. This is in contrast to the remaining Gloom- (“Interloper, Are You?” and “Leave, Interloper”) or Sloth-based (“Who Might You Be?”) skills of the Abnormality, expressions of its deep sadness and tiredness over all the tragedies it has witnessed and will keep on witnessing, all thanks to its refusal to move on out of love.

Other good fits are Josephine and her entourage, so obsessed with the ghost—the memories—of their dead mistress that I’d say they are the best example of the Abnormality by far, forever bound to a dead past they love and wish to protect with everything they have. Fuck, even Josephine’s color palette is almost the same that the Abnormality’s!

I think it’s also possible to say Portrait of a Certain Day represents the concept of butlers and their inherited contracts. But I think that hampers and reduces the underlying experience of the Abnormality, which I’m pretty sure everyone must have felt: the bitter wish to return to those simple days of yore, wishing to safekeep them from all harm despite the impending “sunset”. Maybe that’s why Portrait of a Certain Day is weak to Lust, to love itself, and, above all, to both Sloth and Pride—the inertia that lets days pass without care, and the “arrogant” exclamation that oneself is more than their past.

It’s natural to love one’s past and endeavors, what one has done for others and themselves, but identifying oneself with it is too dangerous. After all, it’s through thinking and believing that such illusions become real, and with them every new day becomes a tragedy, every new person an “interloper” that brings only misery.

The past, despite its importance, is not everything you are. There’s no need to despair once it vanishes.

Dreams of Freedom

“Maybe it's enjoying a gentle dream, free from the painful strikes of lightning. Maybe it's suffering a dark nightmare because we’ve taken its spark… Well, there’s no way for us to know now, but… I wonder if lightning actually hurts this Abnormality. Or… maybe having its electricity taken away hurt more.” - Sinclair, Abnormality’s Observation Log #3.

After a (brainless) fight against the chief butler and its entourage, the dogs, knights and other personnel dedicated to protecting the manor, we find ourselves confronting… a sheep? And it doesn’t seem to be a normal animal, but an electrical one, as its name very clearly demonstrates.

There’s no need to be a genius to know that Dreaming Electric Sheep is a reference to the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, which deals with themes of faith, empathy, and connection in a sci-fi world. Naturally, those topics permeate the Abnormality throughout, with special focus to the questions presented by Sinclair above: what does the Sheep truly want and is that the correct thing?

To answer them, we need first to understand what exactly the electricity in question is. For that, we need to analyze its surprisingly evocative battle.

“But I noticed something new with every strike of lightning, with every flash… It was almost like a dream. A four-legged cloud, illuminated in the flares of violet… Oh, and… there was something that stood out as odd from that dreamlike sight, though. There was a machine in there, with its cables and plugs strewn all over the place. … Maybe it was like a power generator, or something?” - Sinclair, Abnormality’s Observation Log #3.

And for beginners, as a curiosity, this fragment here along with the Abnormality Encounter in the MDs imply the generators and wires are already present in the arena; they aren’t summoned, unlike the fight. This means the passive associated with that latter mechanic, “Generator”, is essentially just a mechanic especially made to avoid… breaking the fight, I guess.

There are some other cases of “story and gameplay segregation”, like the Sheep begins the fight with an unclashable attacks that isn’t mentioned anywhere in the Logs, or that it naturally attracts storms and electricity, independent of the generators. But since they don’t matter that much, let’s ignore them and begin with the actual analysis.

The main focus of the fight is trying to get the “Anti-Ovine Grounding Plug” status on the Sinners, acquired by winning against the Generators’s “Overcharge Release” skill—overcoming the electricity released by the generators to grab a cable. Not exactly revolutionary, but it gets the work done, since the name of the status and the fact that the Sinner that has it must win a clash against the Sheep’s sole Pride skill, “Grounding Refusal”, to inflict “Plugged In” on it are quite telling: the Abnormality doesn’t want to be “grounded” and have its electricity stolen.

The Abnormality’s refusal to “touch earth” is also seen in the fight’s background, placed in the sky and high above whatever city is below, filled to the brim with lightning and stormy clouds. Sinclair described such surroundings as dream-like, and rightfully so; how can one say that such a place, disconnected almost wholly from earth, is anything but a fantasy? In a way, it’s really, really juvenile…

Regarding the “Plugged In” status, the name is everything you really need to understand it, and thankfully you need only 3 Plugged In on the Abnormality to stagger and make it lose all the Charge (i.e., electricity) it has built up, effectively putting it to “sleep”. The related passive, “A Familiar Connector”, implies that the Sheep is conscious and knows what you are doing, and it’s trying to fight against it, as the special Event (when it has 2 Plugged In) and the Logs show:

“At the end of each cable strewn about the floor is a plug. Perhaps the sheep knows what it implies. It lets out a sorrowful cry.” - Mid-Combat Event. “… The sheep began attacking me as soon as I grabbed the cable from the generator. It would burst with lightning… or try to ram me with its body.” - Sinclair, Abnormality’s Observation Log #2.

Naturally, beyond the prideful refusal to be grounded, thinking of itself as deserving much more than to be slaved as mere battery, the Abnormality becomes wrathful at the sight of someone using the cables too, as represented by its “Ram Charge” skill. But this incessant fight to reject its duty make its weakness to Wrath and Gloom all the more ironic: despite its big egoism, befitting its resistance to Pride, Dreaming Electric Sheep is susceptible to others’ suffering and hatred, as if they make it doubt its egoistic stubbornness.

Returning now to the fight as such, the Abnormality doesn’t always use “Grounding Refusal”, since it’s tied to the other main status of the fight: Gathering Lightning Cloud. As it name implies, it’s a representation of how the Sheep is able to gather lightning and electricity in the first place, being what ultimately dictates what skills it uses:

“Horned Charge”: A Lust-based skill used when there’s 4, 3 or 1 Gathering Lightning Cloud. It essentially represents the love and addiction Dreaming Electric Sheep has for electricity—for “dreaming” above and beyond the earth.

“Lamb’s Cry” and “Electricity Manipulation”: Gloom-based skills, used when there’s 3 or less and 1 Gathering Lightning Cloud respectively. They are a stand-in for the Abnormality’s despair caused by losing the source of its electricity and “dreams”.

An entity that’s in love with dreaming and being unbounded, fighting and despairing upon the prospect of losing its “spark” and tied down to something—to duty. Thus, it isn’t a surprise Sloth is antithetical to its existence, a drive that destroys its (sort of) rebellion and pride by making it rot as nothing but a commodity, a tool born and raised to feed the city below.

“The electric sheep bleats and screams. As its distressed screech shakes the air, flashes of light hit the eyes. The buildings are lit brighter than ever. Soon, the light from the creature’s cloud dimmed. Could it be dreaming? The sheep appeared to have closed its eyes after it fell silent.” - Abnormality Encounter.

A “poison” that… puts it to sleep? That part isn’t clear, and Yi Sang’s comment in the third Log doesn’t help that much either. We know the Abnormality is already dreaming at some level, quite literally being “in the clouds” and having to be “grounded”, so maybe it collapsing is the result of finally being “tamed” and “binded”, drained of everything it has as the weight of the things it has done—the tiredness of living freely—catches up. It's the somnolence that willingly sacrifices all (external) ambitions, so the world can remain in order and “awake”.

Thankfully for the Sheep, and pitifully for those below, such a state is not permanent, at least in gameplay. This all due to its only Envy skill, “Electric Screaming”, which has two versions: an unclashable one used solely during the first turn, and a clashable version used whenever there’s only 1 Gathering Lightning Cloud on the Abnormality. While the former is difficult to elucidate since it doesn’t have any effect in practice (beyond the 10 Protections it grants), it coincides with a small part of the Logs:

“Do you think we have to plug those cables into the sheep? Ah, I see… What if that sheep is screaming so much because of the lightning in its body…? - Sinclair, Abnormality’s Observation Log #1.

It is screaming (duh), and feeling a profound envy for something/someone in that moment. The clashable version further clarifies it through its effect of expiring all the built up Charge, along with disconnecting itself from the generator likely due to the absurd release of electricity—its precious electricity.

While it would be normal to assume the Abnormality is envious for people that don’t have to experience the pain of being electrocuted, I disagree with that. The Logs are ambiguous at the hour of answering what’s more painful to the Sheep, but the EGO Awakening/Corrosion lines and the “cut the cables” option in its Encounter heavily imply what the Sheep values above all.

“The buildings blacked out in an instant. The electric sheep dashed off into the distance, propelling a thunderous cry. In the unlit town, weeps of the lightless fill the air. A tiny object rests where the electric sheep once was.” - Abnormality Encounter.

So terrified of being “robbed” that, without realizing, it leaves a fragment of its being and electricity behind.

Everything indicates that Dreaming Electric Sheep is envious not out of “physical” pain, but of those that don’t have to sacrifice their dreams and are free. Unlike them, it has to fight with everything it has and abandon all in order to escape its “confinement”, with its last important passive, “Wants To Be Free”, being the most obvious proof of that drive and violent opposition.

All in all, the theme of the Abnormality is obvious: in contrast to Portrait of a Certain Day and its blind loyalty to its duty and past, Dreaming Electric Sheep represents fighting back and rebelling against them—the “presetted” social role that was given to it. However, no matter how much it wants to be free, the Sheep will have to return to the ground one day by either its own volition or dragged down by others, and when that happens its dreams will only consist of the days of yore.

“The ability to recollect may become the Abnormalities’ bridge from the waking world into the land of dreams. Yet, we know not whether what it reminisces is its past, or merely its figments.” - Yi Sang, Abnormality’s Observation Log #3.

Thus, its entire relationship with Envy makes sense (beyond “Envy = Electricity/Charge”, of course), including its resistance and why do Identities without Envy have their mental state deteriorated when plugging in the Sheep in the Encounter; it is one of the purest manifestations of the Sin. But then, one has to wonder what the Abnormality represents in this royal masquerade, and thankfully, an user in reddit gave a more than appropriate answer:

“I think Sheep represents the King. A more imature version of the king that didnt want the responsiblity of the throne, just to run freely. I also want to add even the stage placement supports my theory, both section 3 and 4 follow the same structure of peccatula followed by abnormality. I think Sheep is the Prince, a Little Prince.” - u/tr_berk1971.

And with that, we return to the first question: without the prince, the kingdom doesn’t have a future, so what should you do in this case? Respect its decision or bring it down?

The King in Binds

“There is an entity bound to an extravagantly ornamented chair. It appears as though the entity is shooting a stern glare this way. It tries to say something... but its mouth is bound. The King on the throne twists and thrashes, trying to approach... but the things that bind drags him away. The beautiful yet cruel crimson strips of fabric. They pull mercilessly. They are…” - Abnormality Encounter.

If Abnormalities like Skin Prophet and Drifting Fox are difficult to explain, then The King in Binds is the complete opposite. So instead of explaining the Abnormality’s meaning, I’m going to analyze its mechanics and tie it to… well, a certain theory I have.

At any rate, after gruesome fights with every single inhabitant of the manor, including the goddamn prince, we arrive against the ruler, the one who set up this very own Railway as a masquerade to alleviate its boredom. Fittingly, before even dreaming of fighting the King, we have to go through its (adamantine) inner circle: its closest and oldest butlers, its royal guard, its counselors, and for some reason two homeless men… Well, anything for the King, right?

“Now that I have spent some time in observation of their operations, I have noticed a conspicuously considerable collection of similitudes between us. I can presume that their number is most likely equivalent to our own; their techniques in parallel to ours. Yet what those Peccatula lack is the will to make decisions of their own. Like cards to be played with and discarded at the king’s whim.” - Yi Sang, Abnormality’s Observation Log #2.

Especially when you are an extension of the King’s many “binds” that empower and limit it at the same time, giving it shape and thus an existence—they are as much as part of the King as the King is of them, as seen with the “Bandage of the King in Binds”. But this reciprocity becomes heavily nightmarish when you consider how the King is the source of all the Peccatulum Invidiae we see in the Railway, meaning only one thing: there’s no difference between the Sovereign and its people.

“A commonwealth is said to be instituted when a multitude of men do agree, and covenant, every one with every one, that to whatsoever man, or assembly of men, shall be given by the major part the right to present the person of them all, that is to say, to be their representative; every one, as well he that voted for it as he that voted against it, shall authorize all the actions and judgements of that man, or assembly of men, in the same manner as if they were his own, to the end to live peaceably amongst themselves, and be protected against other men.” - Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes.

The King in Binds doesn’t control every single one of its retainers; they are one and the same, with their wills being its will. It’s the living manifestation of the manor and the kingdom, with its “bandages” and thus control extending through every corner. Its power is absolute, its rules unquestionable… Yet, such a position is lonely beyond any comparison, not having any equal and no challenge that can’t be easily solved with 1 order. No wonder why its EGO and a great part of its skills are both Pride and Gloom, or that it’s resistant to Lust, Gluttony and Envy—a solitary responsibility that kills all desire, yet too powerful and important to simply wish upon another, explaining also its Sloth skill.

“To be in command of others, to reign over another, is a declaration that one shall endure the responsibilities and the suffering that come with power. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my deepest gratitude to our Executive Manager, who leads us with a firm but fair, excellent hand.” - Outis, Abnormality’s Observation Log #3.

And I don’t think I’ve to explain the relationship it has with Dante and the Sinners, because it’s obvious their contract doesn’t only affect the latter’s “time”. By all means, the Sinners have become (metaphysical) extensions of Dante, who is no other than the pitiful, solitary and all too prideful Leviathan.

“‘Mine eyes,’ I said, ‘will yet be here ta’en from me, But for short space; for small is the offence Committed by their being turned with envy. Far greater is the fear, wherein suspended My soul is, of the torment underneath, For even now the load down there weighs on me.’” - Dante, Canto XIII, Purgatorio, Divine Comedy.

A King that under no circumstances allows disrespect towards its presence. But there’s no need to worry, because it won’t direct its resentment and hatred against its retainers, to those he has “bonded” with as shown with “Present Thyself Before the King”; everything will be directed to its “enemies” and “offenders”, either conquering or destroying them. Its theme isn’t named “Vovete Miseries”, latin for “(All of) You Shall Vow Miseries”, for nothing.

At the end, Dante, like the King, will remain alone at the top. The binds and duty, once chains (chains… why do they sound familiar?) that dragged them to the “throne” over and over again, now bandages that cover the shameful injuries and are the only thing that hold it together. They may struggle as much as they want to get free now, but they are in that situation because they have already resigned themselves to the bitterness of such a role—they “gladly” welcomed both Sloth and Gloom in their lives, without resisting them.

“Let this battle bring a fleeting moment of joy for the lone-king who shall reign eternal, reign unaccompanied.” - Choosing to “wear the mask of joy”, Introductory Event.

“Let this battle bring a fleeting moment of solace for the lone-king who shall reign eternal, reign unaccompanied.” - Choosing to “wear the mask of sorrow”, Introductory Event.

“Let this battle spark the flames of battle-joy for the lone king who shall reign eternal, reign unaccompanied.” - Choosing to “wear the mask of wrath”, Introductory Event.

Though you can at the very least soothe that melancholy by playing along with this selfish desire of it, to take one of the many offered masks to fulfill this play whose ending allows the King to pretend to be free. How you do it is entirely up to you, of course, but please, do not forget the pain the King experiences with every movement and breath; that’s the despair and duty we all share.

Post-Commentary

Beyond the usual disclaim that every Abnormality is open to discussion, I really want to focus in the last section, about The King in Binds, due to theory I presented: in the same way Spiral of Contempt can represent Dante's past self, KiB obviously represents something of them; it may be their past again, yes, but also their future, and that's the interpretation I chose. It can also be understood as a parallel with Heathcliff in particular, who (whom?) already had comparisons made with the Devil himself.

Outside of that, if Protrait of a Certain Day's section looks longer than the others... Yes, it's. That's because I wrote it as some sort of "reception" as well, beginning with the first thing we knew about the Abnorality before the fight. It's also the thing that took more time than any other; the Envy affinity really messed up with my brain... And that's not speaking about how similar Portrait is to Steam Machine.

And finally, it's obvious the overall theme within this Railway: while RR2 represents unending cycles and RR3 (self-)destructive obssessions, RR4 stands for the tragedy and power that come with duty, from the immature stages in which we try to run from it, to the last days during which we take comfort in what we have done - childhood/teenagehood, adulthood, and finally elderliness in a world that demands things that we may not neccesaily like, but we must fullfill. Life in society is truly like a masquerade, isn't it?