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So like. Amazing. Literally amazing. What the fuck am I going to do with my life now? /j

SPOILERS FOR THE GAME BELOW

Ok so, before finally playing the last part of Arc 5, I actually replayed through the whole game in order to refresh my memory on everything and I DEFINITELY felt like that was needed. I already had a good idea of everything that occurred throughout the game, but experiencing it all over again was definitely much more different than just remembering. It was probably a bad idea in hindsight because I was playing during a week where standardized testing was happening, but I believe it was all worth it. And it made Arc 5 all the more impactful.

The moment they all enter the cabin, there was already quite a bit to unpack. Iggy and Gidget were faced with a reminder of what happened at the end of Arc 4, there was a weird door they all had to figure out how to open, and Genzou and Orlam were already starting to bicker.

(I liked the brief callback to Jerry :D)

I had expected to see Genzou and Orlam to be somewhat happier to talk with each other, but it makes sense that they were still quite hostile, when you think about the relentless torment that Orlam had to go through, and Genzou’s routine of degrading Orlam that he had fallen so deeply into, which he was reluctant to break. That isn’t something one single apology can just fix, and that’s not even considering all the things in the loops that they had to undergo.

And then… Iggy and Gidget. I can’t imagine the cesspool of emotions both of them probably felt when entering the cabin, especially Gidget. That moment HAD been peaceful at first, until the drug that they infused the drink with kicked in, in order to “fix” Iggy and have the perfect life with him.

I love how much emphasis is put on this moment when Iggy “chose” them. The fact that Iggy described Gidget as so composed and strong at first, only for their barely maintained composure to crumble when they started apologizing for what they did to him. And also, in no way did they ever show the resentment towards him that they harbored for him in previous arcs. It was likely exacerbated by the Wonderland, and they also were preoccupied when apologizing to Iggy at that present moment, but still.

They had changed so much, from when Genzou and Iggy first visited them in the town, to that moment, when they started crying, kneeling in front of Iggy. Their change wasn’t just in physical appearance, but in mindset and demeanor as well. The complete shift from how flippant and carefree they were in the beginning, to the serious and grounded mindset they started to adopt the moment they were released from the shackles of others’ expectations for them. Though, that same carefree demeanor also felt like an attempt to disguise the fact that they were hanging onto their last thread of sanity, so it was probably more like a return to what they used to be.  And the vulnerability they had when they expressed their fear of the Wonderland showing their “true self” is heartbreaking. It tied in with their whole theme of "not knowing themself", which is most evidently relevant to their gender identity, but also to other aspects of themself and whatnot.

Even with all this in mind, Iggy chose to trust them, and believe in the person that they have transformed into, rather than the person driven insane by the delusions of a fantasy world that had tortured him so much. I feel like that aspect of their relationship is what led me to enjoy seeing it play out so much. Them falling asleep outside instead of going back inside is so dorky too.

And SPEAKING of Genzou… there was a lot of content for his scene that made me think “damn, this one is definitely the most romantic out of all of them”. Like, they kiss once, then another time, and then they have a CG in the cabin where they’re lovingly gazing into each other’s eyes. Funnily enough, I was thinking about Orlam being awake and just watching them (especially considering that’s the very thing he does the morning after) when that moment happened. As for Gidget, I assume they were still outside, but it’s kinda funny to imagine them walking in and being like “…oh" and then needing to deal with that in the morning. 

It does actually make sense that Iggy and Genzou have the strongest relationship, at least in terms of romance, because he’s the only one that hadn’t really traumatized him in any way, so there’s not much room for animosity in their relationship. And the fact that his arc was centered around the comfort that he gives Iggy and how much he cared for him makes it even easier for Iggy to love him without any reservations.

Either way, it’s so sweet to see how their scene plays out. It first starts off with Iggy caring for Genzou’s severed finger, and then delving into Genzou’s deep-rooted issues of self-hatred and his hypocrisy. I really love the part where Iggy proclaims that he loves Genzou when Genzou asks why he cares so much and then they have the kiss and then the dorky moment when Genzou is pulling his beanie over his head and AAAAAAAAAAAAA

This scene with Genzou feels EXTREMELY relevant to how they both were in the beginning of Arc 5, where Iggy takes it upon himself to care for Genzou when he’s not in the right mind to care for himself, where in the past, Genzou had been the one doing that. Notably, there’s also the juxtaposition of how they’re feeling extremely conflicting emotions about each other when Iggy visits Genzou’s house in the beginning, to how SURE they are of their feelings right before they confront Bucks. Iggy’s comment about the world being too cruel to let them sleep peacefully together reminds me of Arc 2, where they have the moment in the castle where Iggy opens up to him and they kiss, only for that happy moment to be taken away from them so quickly when Iggy was brought to be electrocuted and Genzou was later axed by Bucks at the cliff.

As for Orlam, it’s a bit sad that my opinion of him hasn’t changed much from my perspective in previous comments I’ve made. I guess it’s because of the fact that we didn't really see much of him until the latter half of Arc 5, and his segment primarily consisted of him expressing his hatred for the others and how much he suffered, right until the very end. It’s like, I understand his story and shit, and there are some parts of it I feel I can relate with, but he just doesn’t resonate with me as much as Gidget and Genzou does.

With that out of the way, I still think his dynamic with Iggy is intriguing, though. Their relationship isn’t plainly defined as “romantic”, because there’s more to it than that, but they also don’t try to conform to the expectations of others (hence the theme of “making one’s own rules”). Even so, there’s still a clear connection that they have with each other, even with the ways that they largely differ.

He definitely opens up more when Iggy chooses him, too. There’s no doubt that he certainly likes to fluster Iggy, but there’s also a sense of caring that he has for Iggy too. His morals are interesting also, with how he confirms that he had some semblance of regret for what he did, but still wouldn’t change what he did: rather, if it ended, then he would simply “let it end”. Interestingly enough, this idea also seems to be relevant to his lack of reactions compared to Gidget and Genzou when Iggy is put in some kind of danger (even when he’s the one that’s “chosen”).

I think it’s because in some way, he’s accepting the possibility of Iggy dying. Not because he doesn’t care for him, but because that’s something that can happen, and there’s no changing it if it does. One also has to consider that this timeline takes place where Iggy was one of the multiple people in the friend group that let him be bullied relentlessly (even when he had good moments with Orlam), and the fact that he was the target of Genzou’s affections. Genzou, the one who Orlam had a big fat crush on. So it would make sense if there was still some built up resentment that led him to not care as much for Iggy. I could be misconstruing his actions entirely, but who knows lol.

And then if Iggy chooses no one, I think I like the way he approached the events that happen from that point onward. Sure, you lose out on specific interactions that pertain to specific characters, but it also feels like his actions were consistent with his motives. He tried to take it into his own hands to do things on his own and took the initiative, first helping Genzou and going off on his own to confront Gidget. He didn’t go unscathed while doing it, evidently (considering he sustained injuries basically every other second), but his efforts still showed nonetheless.

He grit his teeth through the tough moments, and tried to rely on his own strength to do everything that he can feasibly do himself (at least if he chooses no one to help him). In all honesty, it’s kinda funny thinking about how he has the whole spiel about needing someone else’s warmth because he’ll die without it, only for him to be like “…actually, I can use my own warmth”.

Ok so um. Finally moving onto the more important events of Arc 5, the battle with Bucks was... certainly not what I was expecting. She manifested as a LITERAL monster when they first encounter her, which then becomes so sad to think about after the flashbacks and cutscene of Iggy as Hunar telling her she’s not a monster. With this continuous perception of her being some sort of monster, she just started to roll with it entirely, with Hunar being the only one that diverged from this point of view. At least, up until their relationship started going downhill (it was so sad seeing her sob after Hunar called her a monster T_T). The Wonderland also warping her into becoming the cold-blooded killer that the group was faced with at the end of their respective arcs didn’t help to relieve that perception of her either, and probably even exacerbated it considering they had to see her like that multiple times.

Going back to before that, it’s interesting that Iggy tried to use the Saydie doll to get Bucks’s attention first instead of the axe charm, when Saydie was basically the primary cause of Bucks’s suffering, whether she wanted her to be or not. Though Iggy does come to this realization when he actually grabs the axe charm. It’s pretty funny how it plays out cause the screen is all red and shaky from having his fingers literally being CUT OFF and then everything suddenly comes to a stop, and he's like “ah. of course.”

And when they finally get to the tree. I fucking had CHILLS when the heartbeat scene happened. Initially, the silhouette of the tree getting closer and closer made me anxious that there was gonna be a jumpscare or something, but then the reveal that Saydie was being kept alive by the tree was horrifying. Like, she was alive, but as a “writhing mass” (as Orlam had described her), and the visceral descriptions that were given, accompanied by the music that played… like jfc. It makes sense that she kept telling Iggy to kill her cause I don’t think ANYONE wants to live like that.

Tbh, I actually didn’t think about the tree itself being the main antagonistic force, but that should’ve been obvious in hindsight to me. It’s so… innocently described in the story given in the very beginning of Arc 5, and then it felt so... malicious once they finally met it in the end. Though, that could be because it was affected by the Wonderland’s tendencies, considering how fucked up the world all was.

After that would be the scene with Saydie where she takes Iggy to hear about all of the others’ wishes, and then Iggy’s own wish. Through Iggy’s own power, when he simultaneously grants Saydie’s wish and destroys the tree, it’s very gratifying to watch. At the same time though, I’m confused about the true importance of Iggy’s wish. He wished that “he could make his friends this happy forever”, but… what happened, exactly? Under the assumption that this wish disappeared just like the others, does it mean that the loop was broken? I guess it would be because this happiness was derived from being in the Wonderland, and if that lasted forever, then so would the Wonderland. There was clarification about this in another comment, but I'm not exactly sure if I have the correct impression.

On that note, the fact that everyone got a chance to redo the past (albeit with certain events staying the same) is quite the unexpected ending. I had thought they would be forced to confront the world as they were, with their present injuries and trauma and all that shit. Don’t get me wrong though, it was not bad by any means. I very much liked seeing the new resolutions of the events that went down, and also how everyone lived their lives anew. It probably just took me surprise, like it did with many others. I think I liked the Genzou variant the most (which is probably no surprise, considering my previous comments about him).

There’s honestly so much more I could call attention to, like the callbacks dispersed throughout the game to moments that previously happened, the various cutscenes in the latter half of the game that are so fucking heartwrenching (i.e. Genzou’s apology to Orlam), the endcards, and the very fitting OSTs, but that’d drag it out way longer. So I will leave it at that, and tell you that this was truly a fantastic game. I’m very happy to have discovered this game when it was still in the works and it feels so great to see it be finished. I also enjoyed your responses to my comments very much and I will miss them a lot. IDFK how I made another comment this long just by analyzing the second part of Arc 5, but I guess I just REALLY really liked this game. So as a concluding statement, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING OUR WONDERLAND!!!!

I'm so excited for it!!! I've returned to this project each time an update has added to it, and I was always blown away by the new developments that came with each update. It's a little sad for this to be the last one, but it's also going to be exhilarating to see how this story ends! Thank you Carrot for making such an amazing game.

To clarify something, I knew that Jerry did die during the fight scene 💀 But I guess I should've phrased it better. I meant like... it's sad how the trio didn't talk much about him after he died, but I guess there was silent acknowledgement from Iggy crying after they all got into the sewers. I kinda get why Genzou and Gidget didn't say much since they didn't interact as much with Jerry, but I think he was important enough for Iggy: I guess Iggy was still kinda detached from the fact that OFW was indeed something that happened, and so Jerry's apology didn't really strike him in any way. There were still these occasional moments that brought them a little closer though. I found myself wanting the trio to say a little bit more about Jerry, but it's understandable why they didn't: they're more focused on getting to Orlam at that moment and Jerry was a minor part of their lives, even if he served a pretty significant role in this arc.

Arc 5 Part 1 1/2 was certainly not disappointing to go through. I kinda forgot about the game for a few months, but it instantly recaptured me once I played through the new update.

SPOILERS BELOW







Kinda interesting to see Jerry's presence in the story. I'm assuming he's the main antagonist from OFW (which would explain why Genzou was so furious at him)? I presume the one-on-one interactions with him and the adoption of the nickname "kit" for Iggy was to make everyone feel attached to him and so they would distraught at the trio leaving him. Makes sense after all; he's really only a significant presence in OFW, and he's there to be more of a villain than anything. Kinda sad that there wasn't much for him after the trio entered the sewers though.

Honestly, I think I said all I needed to say about Genzou in my past comments. He generally stays very caring and protective of Iggy, as well as his respect of sexual boundaries. Though I like this emphasis on his issues; while we (the players) are made aware of how shit his treatment of Orlam was, we perceived him in the eyes of Iggy, and so he appears to be this very kind and heroic person. It brings awareness to the fact that despite not being as blatantly monstrous as Gidget and Orlam in the peak of their "worlds", he very much still has fundamental issues as a person (though that can be derived from his self-deprecating talk and lack of optimism anyway). Orlam basically says this when he's talking to Genzou, so yeah.

While I still love Genzou (cause he's sweet like that), I've started to take a liking to Gidget now that we've actually started seeing them in a positive light and without their forced hyperfemininity. They express their care and concern for Iggy differently from Genzou, seeing how there's a lack of physical affection and moreso small acts that indicate that they're thinking about Iggy. They also have a particularly serious side, and I always love that in characters (mostly because I have a serious nature myself). The surprisingly nuanced vocabulary makes them sound smart, and I am also loving that aspect of them. There still is the previous arcs, the entirety of Arc 4, and the beginning of Arc 5 to consider... Gidget has certainly done bad things. But I wouldn't say they could truly be written off as a bad person, considering their own motivations and fundamental issues (one of them being gender identity; very big mood).

Orlam certainly is interesting. His whole thing seemed to be centered around avoiding his emotions and seeking short-term gratification (though that's more emphasized in his arc). So much so, that he removed his whole heart and put it on a podium. Considering how much torment he faced, it's not unreasonable for him to want to reject his emotions entirely. After all, it's only brought him pain. Genzou was the main perpretrator, Gidget mostly cared about Iggy, Iggy didn't do much to interfere, and Bucks and Hunar were not as close to the group. The crush and temporary joy he had with Genzou was destroyed because of Genzou's own fear for himself. That does put things into perspective, and it makes sense why he would look towards dating apps and whatnot. They don't need as much commitment and they don't cause a person to feel pain, but they provide quick and easy satisfaction. The "game" scene... of course, it's the person that "hated" him the most that didn't say anything he hated about Orlam. And the apology he needed to hear from Genzou truly "touched" him. I interpreted him crying the black tears as the evil (representative of his hatred, resentment) sorta "draining" from him. That would make sense, since the heart started spewing out what seemed like blood, which shows that Genzou's words reached him and his humanity is returning to him. The hatred no longer remains.

Uhh. I didn't expect to write that much, though it isn't NEARLY as long as my previous comment (I probably won't write anything that long again anyway). But overall, I enjoyed this update as well! I'm looking forward to Arc 5 Part 2 (unless there's gonna be a Part 1 1/2 1/2 or something), and how the group deals with Bucks. ^^

Okay so that was amazing??? I would say that the first part of Arc 5 rendered me speechless, but I actually have a LOT to say, so...[SPOILERS FOR OUR WONDERLAND ARCS 1-5 BELOW]

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To begin with, I absolutely loved that beginning sequence. The moment of everything just hitting Iggy like a trainwreck of emotions and trauma was well-needed, considering how long he and the rest of the friend group have gone through the loop (which I'm assuming has been more than 5 times). It also has a similar effect to the players, with the start of the arcs having a few differences but nothing too out of the ordinary considering what happens the arc before. But then Arc 5 just hits you with the whiplash that Iggy remembers EVERYTHING rather than just having a strong sense of deja vu and he's taking time to process it, barely even functioning because of how hard it hit him.

Following immediately after that, the tree story: it was a nice way to connect the whole loop thing back to where it all began, which was the big tree that held the wonderland that they were all introduced to as children. Despite the tree closing itself off from the friend group because they inevitably grew up, Saydie was the key to opening it back up again. And it seems like she has a pretty significant role in the story, the end of Arc 1 implying that Bucks killed her in order to open up the tree again and her quite literally being on the menu screen held by Iggy (I'm assuming).

Going to Genzou right after Iggy's whirlpool of emotions, I couldn't even choose the "mean" options directed towards him because of that. Well, that and mostly because of my Genzou bias. But even if I absolutely hated him because of what he has done to Orlam (which is perfectly reasonable, he HAS said and done some fucked up stuff to him), I think it would just be adding more negativity to the landfill of the emotional trauma both Iggy and Genzou were going through. And plus, Iggy KNOWS what Genzou feels like so I personally think it wouldn't make sense for him to be callous and unsympathetic towards Genzou. It's also interesting to note the awkwardness between them compared to the beginning of previous arcs, most probably because they both remember the emotions that Iggy went through when it came to Genzou: it started with simply enjoying his presence, then loving him, then HATING him, and then seeing him as a place of comfort when Gidget, who he focuses on while Genzou is left on the sidelines, won't give him that comfort. Not to mention the crush that Genzou had on Iggy for forever. Genzou pushing Iggy away when he was lying down in the bathtub seemed to be because of how it pained him to be in his presence: his opinion of Iggy would certainly be very jumbled by this point and he also seems terrified to have Iggy be even the slightest bit angry at him because of what happened in Arc 3's boat scene. It's nice to see them quickly become comfortable with each other again though.

Focusing on the doll, I wonder what's the role it'll have in the story. It's an object that always reappears in Iggy's dreams specifically, and it also appears a few times in the forest leading to Bucks's cabin. The fact that it says "Please kill me, Iggy" is strange because if this is truly supposed to represent Saydie (going by how Iggy says it looks like a certain someone before he's interrupted by Hunar knocking), wouldn't she already be killed by Bucks? She might not be as evidenced by the crying coming from Bucks's phone (and then the hell screaming ig), but I dunno what it's really supposed to mean. Maybe Bucks killing her in order to access the tree perpetuates the cycle, and Iggy needs to take Saydie himself and kill her so the friend group can confront the situation head on without the whole wonderland stuff. (Also it's kinda sad that Bucks and Saydie have arguably the most important roles in the story while Hunar is just left in the dust... Iggy also emphasizes all FIVE of them which excludes Hunar. And also Saydie but like she's a child.) While I'll cover Gidget's section entirely in another paragraph, I'll briefly cover the doll motif that they have going on: they strive to have their appearance stay the same, like a doll. It's always the same, meaning it's PERFECT. Furthermore, they quite literally have dolls of Iggy everywhere that can easily be replaced: they no longer focus on the REAL Iggy, but substitutes that fulfill the ache in their heart that lacks his love and it further emphasizes how much worse their obsession is in Arc 5. They also mention this to Iggy, telling him that he can be replaced... it shows the shift in their mindset, from wanting to fix him to just replacing him.

Regarding the beginning of Iggy and Genzou's entry into the fantasy world once more, it seems like everything's a mess: even more than it was before. It shows us a glimpse into how bad everything will be. Which seems to foreshadow that the deterioration of Gidget's and Orlam's mental state is AMPLIFIED in this loop.

Okay, back to Genzou again. Of course, comfort and security is taken into account when Iggy thinks about him; those are reoccurring themes in Arc 2. Genzou's always there to reassure Iggy and close to him for the purpose of protecting him from any of the dangers that they encounter.  But Iggy wants to repay him for all he's done. I mean, Genzou literally took an axe to the head for him. Not only that, he feels extremely guilty because he thinks he ruined Genzou's life but of course he didn't. Which ties back to Arc 1, which primarily focuses on Iggy. He feels RESPONSIBLE for everything, and so HE has to FIX everything. Obviously he is not, and it's not his duty to save everyone from their problems. But he also feels like this is what he has to do so he can stay friends with everyone, in order to maintain that camaraderie that he cherishes so much. Iggy CAN provide assistance and guide people to the right path when needed, but he shouldn't take things into his own hands and try to repair everything. It's relieving to see Genzou reassure Iggy that it's not up to him because he hasn't ruined anyone's life. (I also noticed when Iggy pointed out that Genzou wrestled a giant tentacle for him, it's a callback to how Genzou pointed out that Iggy tried to defeat an armored rabbit with a rake for him, which I think is really cute.)

And then... Gidget. Very complex situation. The external manifestation of their desires have changed dramatically in this loop: no longer focusing on sex appeal & emphasizing their body, but rather focusing on maintaining a PERFECT image of themself. Everything is pristine and spotless. Gidget rejects everything that would make them imperfect, which are emotions, nourishment, and so forth. But despite claiming that they've moved on from Iggy because he was holding them back, there are blatant signs that their statement is false. The Iggy dolls, the mentions of having sex with them, still being that hyperfeminine woman that seemingly everyone around them WANTED them to be. It exemplifies how their desires from past arcs still remain the same, just increased to an even more severe degree. All of it introduces the issue of Iggy feeling the need to FIX them... to "find the real Gidget." Considering how Gidget tried to fix him in the previous 4 arcs, why would flipping the situation around be any different? It also lies with his ultimate responsibility in their circumstances: sure, he might have contributed a LITTLE to the problem, but the full blame doesn't lie with him. It was everyone who upheld those expectations for them, ESPECIALLY their mom. I think the apology to Gidget was very much needed, considering how he basically cut contact with everyone around him after a while and didn't bother to talk to anyone. I personally would be FURIOUS if I centered my whole life around conforming to the expectations of a person that I really cared about and after years of not talking to me ever, they suddenly reappear in my life and tell me that this isn't the real me. Well no shit!!! But this isn't meant to place the blame entirely on Iggy like I mentioned earlier: it would be helpful if Gidget ever communicated their discomfort when they started dressing hyperfemininely; it would also be helpful if no one ever tried to be the gender police when it came to them either. Essentially, it's everyone's fault and not just the fault of one person.

Transitioning (hehe) to the spider cave, it was definitely an experience to say the least. It makes me wonder why it was spiders specifically, though I can see a connection. Spiders are viewed as ugly, gross, and they're monsters in the eyes of most people. And yet, they also fulfilled one of the primary "desires" that Gidget had: to start a family. They embrace being spider-like, even with that stigma around spiders. It can be compared to them desiring to present more androgynously in spite of what others around them say... akin to what they really want, but not there yet. Cecil also constantly tells them that they don't seem happy as they are, and also CECIL WOOOOOOO!!!! Though I don't think it was a matter of realizing what their true desires were, it was more like ACCEPTING what those desires were. Gives a reason for why Cecil is imprisoned in the dungeon below, in order to keep hiding from what they really want because it'll be a hard and egregious life for them if they fulfill those desires. But when they finally kill Cecil, someone who truly cared about them and wanted them to be happy, they finally break. They grieve for him, and then they start destroying the perfect image they tried so hard to keep up. I'm so sad that Cecil reappeared and then died so quickly, but WOOOOO THEY/THEM PRONOUNS FOR GIDGET!!!! I'm so happy to see them have an appearance they want, in spite of the horrible and unspeakable things they've done to Iggy. My non-binary identity and my asexuality makes these feelings conflicting 💀

I'm excited to see how the rest of the arc pans out!!! Geez, I really did write an essay, so I'll leave you with this short concluding message. I wish you luck with continuing Arc 5 🫶

I've replayed Our Life: Beginnings and Always MULTIPLE times already and every playthrough of it was always so great to go through purely because of how I love all of the characters and our interactions with them. Well, maybe not Baxter too much (I tend not to like  flirty characters that much 💀) but it's fun when he shows up!

The game was great enough as it was already, but now there's a demo for a new installment that is already showing more improvements? Sign me the FUCK up. I swear, this series raises the bar really high for visual novels.

(Me making an account to comment on this-)

I was mostly just downloading games because I wanted to get invested in stories with complex characters and let myself FEEL their emotions.

I don't really know what I was expecting when I stumbled upon this game, but it was safe to say it did NOT disappoint.

(SPOILERS BELOW FOR MAIN & SIDE GAME)
VVVVVVVVVVVVVV






Genzou was definitely my most favorite character from beginning to end. I liked how he didn't really care if Iggy had a partner (which immediately was a big plus because I am adamant about people not needing a partner to be happy in life) and his overall vibe. Of course, the biggest issue with him is his relentless bullying of Orlam, even going as far as joking about his mom's suicide (iirc). I'm sorta curious to know why Genzou never stopped bullying him, and if he ever caught on to the fact that Orlam had a crush on him (before Orlam finally told him). Act 2 really solidified my like for him, showing in the boat scene & bed scene how Genzou's the person that makes Iggy feel comfortable and safe. Their relationship is SO healthy, also emphasized by Act 4 with Genzou validating Iggy's asexuality...especially in contrast compared to Gidget's need to "fix" him. Act 3 was definitely really painful to watch: Iggy's anger & frustration not only at himself but also Genzou for bullying Orlam was understandable, considering how long it went on for and how he did essentially nothing to intervene. But it just felt like Genzou was facing constant negativity from him and reminders of the consequences of his actions in the worst way possible. He must have felt incredibly anguished in the boat scene because of Iggy's blatant aversion to him (and I can't help but think he probably felt like part of the reason was because of his homosexuality). I also loved his route in the side game aaaaaaa


Iggy being distant with the old friend group is heavily relatable, I struggle to connect with some of my old friends due to my hesitance in doing so. I relate to his awkwardness in social situations also. It's interesting to see what the arcs focus on: it starts with Arc 1 being about the overall chaos of the situation and introducing the mess that is their friend group, then Arc 2 being about how Iggy feels security when he's around Genzou. Arc 3 covers how he resents himself and feels guilt for not being there for Orlam when he needed it most, and finally Arc 4 focuses on the strain on his relationship with Gidget (as well as Genzou again being supportive of his asexuality). When the arcs started repeating, I was like "Is it really just gonna repeat the story over and over again??" But besides the setting and the things they encounter being relatively the same, I was surprised how it didn't feel that redundant. As an asexual person, I definitely relate to Iggy (just like me fr); I felt so much discomfort and repulsion for him in the scenes where he was sexually intimate with Gidget. At the same time, their need for him to compliment the body that they once hated is definitely a product of his actions. While Gidget still actively codes, their appearance has changed tremendously from when they were in their senior year. The addition of Iggy's comment that their assets (idk how to phrase it) were nice and his harsh disapproval of their lack of femininity was probably a huge blow to their self-esteem. It probably wasn't entirely his fault considering their mom also criticized their choices to present as androgynous/masculine, but he definitely was a big factor in how they changed.


Orlam... to be honest, I judged him in the beginning (and his comment about Genzou's sexuality didn't help). Though I do understand why his desires manifested the way they did in Wonderland: the constant abuse he faced from his dad and Genzou made him feel powerless, so the response would be to become powerful. In a world where he is shunned by basically everyone (with some of those people going as far as to say he should kill himself), no wonder he wanted to stay in the land where everyone will respect him as a monarch (though the cannibalism and stuff isn't exactly the right approach). He was shown to be pretty timid and fearful as a child, so it's interesting how he develops this sorta... flirty (??) persona as an adult. It's nice how he doesn't force himself on Iggy, despite Orlam's comments about how he's a very... "popular" guy. As others have mentioned, the scene with Iggy gaming and Orlam in the background with his special guests caught me off-guard LOL.


Gidget's definitely a character that I can't just say I like. They push themselves on Iggy despite his protests and attempt to "fix" his asexuality, but he did contribute to them becoming like how they're shown in the Wonderland in some way as I mentioned before. I'm assuming that since they "fixed" themselves for Iggy, they feel like he needs to "fix" himself for them too; that's probably why they're furious  when he denies their advances and is uncomfortable with being more intimate with them. I also find myself relating to their exploration of their gender; as someone who is AMAB, I want to cast away the masculine parts of myself in order to present more androgynously/femininely. The desire to have their "assets" gone is also a mood. While this is a more insignificant situation compared to the mess they are in, I presented as a woman online for some time but I eventually felt that this isn't what's expected of me and that I should be ashamed of it. I also feel sad about how they represent themselves as a man in the side game but still maintain their feminine presentation for Iggy's validation (his reaction to them being a man was also Not Very Good). Ghent is probably what they wanted to be before they started forcing themselves to present femininely :(


With Bucks and her husband (I feel guilty for forgetting his name T_T), they don't get much screen time in the story but I find myself curious about how Arc 5 will portray Bucks. She seems to be pretty lively and friendly with everyone, but the marriage and the responsibility of taking care of a child definitely took a toll on her and her husband's mental health. The implication she murdered her child to get some peace and quiet was terrifying. She's hostile towards everyone when she encounters them in the end of each arc, but it feels as if Arc 4 was different somehow (she doesn't even follow Iggy in Arc 3 so I feel as if that arc doesn't count). Maybe it's because she only appears after Iggy says his wish and releases all of her stress and aggravation when she murders Gidget, but I noticed she simply says "Goodbye, Iggy" and follows that by immediately killing him. Perhaps it's the effects of the deja vu and her stubbornness on staying in the Wonderland ebbing? I'm not really sure what it means, but I hope it gets covered in Arc 5.


That being said, this comment has overstayed its welcome and it's probably way too long so I'm going to end it here. I loved playing Our Wonderland and I hope finishing Arc 5 goes well for you! :)