I know this isn't exactly specific to the gray garden, but what are your thoughts on what the timeline of all the stories/characters is? Sorry if this is worded weirdly, I'm not sure how to put it😭 I've just been thinking alot on the exact number of years between games and events might be cause I'm a nerd, but there's so little specific information out there💔
I love seeing and reading your posts btw! You're amazing! (´ω｀)
Nahh, it's okay. To be fair, I intended this to be a DSP sideblog and not too gray-garden-centric, but I ended up with a lot more brainworms for them than I thought lmao
I feel like for some stories, the ambiguity of the timeline enhances some of the plot. Example: The wiki says that Kcalb was sealed underground for centuries, but in the bonus room he says he was stuck there for eons. It could be a mistranslation or a retcon (I personally prefer it to be longer), but it can also be Kcalb genuinely percieving time to be wayy slower than it actually was because he was, yknow, jailed underground.
It also makes sense since these are immortal beings who transcends the human understanding of time. Making it ambiguous is actually beneficial in that we can ascribe any number we like and make it work until DSP canon says other wise.
Long Example: Making the time gap between Samekichi's betrayal and Memoca being her familiar be weeks to a few months is a meaningful growth in Wadanohara's personality. She can compartmentalize the worst of those feelings and seeks out ways to cope, looking toward the future and reaching out to others. It doesn't mean she's forgotten about Samekichi, rather that she can take some time to identify what her problem is, how she feels, and what she can realistically do about it. It's a way to further show that she can and does actively make choices of her own volition, without the underlying pressure of how will she save the world like the entirety of WATGBS
On the flipside, making the gap range from years to even decades would show just how bad Wadanohara reacts to Samekichi's abscence. This is possibly the first ever time that someone close to Wada has sworn off contact and turn into an enemy, especially her first ever familliar. Someone she trusts to accompany her journey, to look out for her when Tatsumiya couldn't, one that she has cared for for so long. How would she be able to trust anyone that ever again? Why did he do it? Is it her, did she do something wrong? She couldn't wrap her head around this for a long time, but she notices that people started to worry about her. So she starts to mask it. She starts to pretend that she's fine, learning to deflect or change the subject when it comes to her wellbeing, uses her time to help others and distract her thoughts from it. That's when Memoca comes in.
Memoca is very headstrong, and if she sees something wrong, she will never back out from investigating it. She doesn't shy away from difficult topics or offhand comments, even if it makes her seem insensitive or can't read the room. If something is bothering Wadda, she will keep pushing until she can find the source of her distress and does her best to work with what she can. In this scenario where Wadanohara keeps spiraling until she completely breaks, Memoca is her wake up call for her to stop. She is Wadda's rock, the one who can ground her from the storm of her thoughts, the one that pulls her out when she's drowning in pain. The one who loudly says "She asked for no pickles!!" when she can't bring herself to make a fuss about her problems, even if it's to her detriment. The kind of friend who buries your ex when he breaks your heart.
These are two seperate developments that bring out equally meaningful parts of our characters in different ways. It's a potential that fanfic writers can thrive in. But it's also a fatal flaw when overdone.
I do feel that DSP tends to leave out TOO MUCH blanks inbetween stories. Maybe it's because she hasn't thought that far, or maybe it's a spoiler for a future project. Regardless, this kind of leaves us with puzzle pieces that would sooner have us tearing out our hairs than finish 1/64th of it.
My main gripe is the time gaps in the main story, such as the time Yosafire is attacked and when Wodahs started investigating and when the actual invasion happens. Another one is the freaking Sal backstory which is a whole other can of worms I will not discuss here, but the relevant parts is that it makes him more important to the main story, and as such makes the absence of explanation (when did Sal fall into the sea of death, how long did Samekichi look for him, how long has Sal worked with Uomi and how long has he been aquainted with Wadda?? How long was the time gap between his betrayal and WATGBS??) seem like an unfinished part of the story, which leaves players like me unsatisfied in a dissapointed way and loremasters like you with a headache.
It doesn't help that some of the background details are also shrouded in mystery, like when was the last time Artamos visited the blue sea. You'd think there's an estimated timeframe for that but DSP left us with nothing. Aaugh pain
But in the end, nothing we could do about that. For my part, I do just want to focus on what fun can come out of it and make up my own guesstimates. If it contradicts the Ci-en lore. Well. Not my problem, I don't sub to her Ci-en hahahaah
