If you're the person who wrote the comment directly below, your post was probably deleted because you started with a major spoiler for the end section of Flynn's route on the main page's comments without giving any spoiler warnings. Whether you were right or not is irrelevant, it's more for protecting people who haven't completed the routes.
You have to remember that just because you and a lot of others are up to date, not everyone is.
sorry for the spoilers, but I'm kinda confused....could anyone probably give me a hand?
for Leo, he refused to move leave Echo to take care of his family, which is why Chase broke up with him, because the wolf thing to take care of the pack, according to the beginning of stories, right?
but in the meantime he said all his siblings already moved out, even his parents moved to Payton, and they already tried to sell the house. so why was him stuck in there , even at the cost of breaking up? especially when the economic in Echo was at bay for like an century already? he could have just moved and open the family shop some elsewhere，just like his parents already did.
Leo wanted to stay in Echo for a number of reasons. He refused because he's stubborn, which is why the best ending means you HAVE to break up with him. Chase HAS to move on to get out. Part of Echo's supernatural effects is a burden. A burden of guilt, of trauma, weighing you down and keeping you still. Leo was ironically one of the more affected ones by Sydney's death, not that anyone got off scott free. More to say that it seems Leo's trauma response was to tighten up the group, and refuse to let them go, to let it go, out of fear. Moving out of Echo is a change, a big one. Leo cant do change. Even after what happened, in basically every route he STILL doesn't move. His trauma response was perfect for the curse of Echo to feed off of, keeping him there. His only reason for staying wasn't just his family, that was more so an excuse.
thanks a branch. I fully understand that chase HAS to leave Echo, to survive, to the least. but for Leo, do you mean he used family as a excuse, to cover his fear? after rechecked the leo line, I figured that it's a logical theory. just want to make sure if I get you right.
This story has never emotionally fucked with me in a way I've never seen before, I played a long time ago, and every time I think about it, that twisting feeling in my gut, the increase in heart and breathing rate. Breaths and chest feel heavy, just thinking about the word Chula. Yesterday I decided to play again, in thought I could muster the strength to play again, I was deeply wrong, my heart rate almost constantly stayed up and I started to shake and fidget, when someone happened that was just too much all I could think was "fuck x24" I did Leo's route first and it hurts my heart knowing you can never truly have him, through his obsession that he could be yours forever, he is a poor baby and needs hugs and cuddles. Then I played Flynn, and at one point I didn't wish to continue. it hurt so much to watch Leo go, to act like your not interested, I don't care what he did. Leo was amazing, he is so kissable and huggable.
It's the next day since I played it, and I'm hungry but if feel like if I ate I would throw it up, no distraction in my life can distract me from remembering Leo and him calling Chula. I will be wired for a couple of days. So this is my warning. The warning atop should seriously be taken into account because I've never felt worse. Getting close and attached to the characters will only hurt you. It's a great game that can conjure these feelings but awful because it does the opposite of Adastra.
Thank you for anyone who is reading, I wanna know how you felt when you played if its an overwhelming game.
At the very beginning there's a choice telling her that you were gay, remember? sounds to me like a chance. especially when in this route, even the possessing ghost itself was kinda took enough of it, so he showed up and told Chase IN THE FACE that who is actually hurting Leo. so at least Chase knew that Leo is possessed. yet the madness isn't really started, lol.
by the way, I tried to convince myself that Leo isn't so loving as it seems, by some details found in Echo Route 65.
if you remember there was a website where Leo looked for lawnmower. look again at WHEN. and see for how long he did NOTHING with what he found in there. not even a short message.
didn't very much working on me, still trying though.
P.S., it is VERY NOT RECOMMENDED for you to play route 65 , if you haven't yet. because knowing what will happen in Echo main story, Route 65 will be unbearably sad and bitter to you. it is about how the couple got together in the first place at their high school.
I feel exactly the same! I have anxiety and depression and omg, I've never been this worse, and I love it! How could such a great writing makes this with me. Leo's my favorite, and it hurts me so much that him couldn't be "happy" with Chase. It's been more than a week and I still feel bad, and anxious, and, like, don't wanna eat anything.
Though, I like to think that I, myself kinda take care of him in the end, idk I like to think that way. Put youself together dude! It's just a VN, Leo's fiiiiine! He's gonna find someone who loves him for real.
Chase is so terrible omg lmao. Sorry my bad english anyway, I'm from brazil, probably my english sucks but idc.
Also, I never want to play this game again, at least not now. I want to take MONTHS away from this VN actually. I love it of course but it hurts too much. Sorry for being cringe
I LOVE this game, it’s my second furry novel after adastra, however I needed help with something, I’ve been playing Jennas route and I got to a “to be continued” part, that led me to discover that this game is still in development. Which is awesome! But then I noticed there was an update 4 days ago, I downloaded Echo about 2 weeks ago and I was wondering how I update it? Do I just reinstall to the new version? And will it save all my save files and choices I’ve made so far? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Massive, Major Spoilers for other routes and later into the game...
The thing possessing Chase isn't actually Samuel, it's more of a twisted facsimile of him. An Echo (!), if you will. It's strongly implied in Jenna's route that the real Samuel survived the events of The Smoke Room in 1915, and returned to Echo only to be run over by Sidney's father and Janice, the coyote that works in the diner when they were much younger. From there I theorise the spirit that poses as Samuel latches onto Sidney's father, then onto Sidney, and finally onto Chase.
Or maybe I'm thinking too much about it and want Samuel to have a happy ending because I like him so much more than Chase.
Omg I finished TJ route and I can't believe what Chase and TJ had done with Sydney, from what I get it there is like two spirits? I liked your theory but it seems like there is two entities, one is supposed to be Samuel and other the curse that there is in Echo, because if you think carefully and see some details in TJ's rote like the format of the words, it seems there is a evil thing "helping" Chase solve his problems telling him to kill Flynn and everything end right and while that happens there is a conversation with other word style saying things like this is a cycle, we're puppets trying to make him notices that he's being manipulated, but at the same time I think Chase is a bad person with this curse messing his mind or not because it never mentioned him regretting what he's done with Sydney he doesn't feel even a bit bad for it and I thought TJ was good at the beginning but he just looked everything happen and pretended again nothing happened. I think the curse of Echo just make their personalities and wishes more intense making they do these things, like Leo's route he clearly was obsessed with Chase and his jealousy just getting worse as time passed, and the bad end of this route just makes everything more clear, in my opinion there isn't happy end but you got it right lol, maybe I change my opinion as I do the other routes but with everything I know until now I have this theory in mind...
Edit: I was remembering what happened and the evil entity could be a twisted version of Sydney as well, they are like a vengeful spirit, his business was with Chase and his friends so he would make them go crazy, and the twisted version of Samuel don't have anything to do with them so he would be more aware of the situation and try to make Chase fix things and break these cicles of tragedy and revenge, there are some points that don't make sense but I guess it's kind of what's happening, and don't worry I want Samuel to have a good ending as much as you do ;)
Theres one separate entity that is a force over the town, manipulating people. These people die and become wraiths, shadows of their former selves and are the more....specific entities. The burned creature for example(that Jenna mentions seeing and is seen when they ride in the van in multiple routes) is a specific character. We know who it is. And their actions line up. There is a "boss" so to speak, tormenting people on a very general level, assumidly to feed on their misery or fear or whatever. We MIGHT have seen said boss in Flynn's route, but thats up to interpretation. Depending on that, we have at least 3 known and named entities in the Burned Man(Flynn's route), Chase's shadow(Possibly? End of Leo's route/the Smoke Room prequel for context), and possibly Sydney(again, Flynn's route).
Ohhh that's some important information, I need to play the other routes to know everything better, I don't know what to think about the Burned Man thought 🤔 it's the thing that crashed the car and made everyone fell into the lake in Leo's route right? In the end of his route I first thought that shadow was Sydney but that wasn't making sense, like he was just watching Chase making bad choices, making Leo go crazy and enjoying this madness but I agree that's probably Chase's shadow there, the way he is afraid of his reflection of his form, he even mentioned seeing a dark form just like him watching right? And until where I know that's the only route this happens soo... No wait the mirror thing happens in TJ's route lol, but he's afraid of something that looks like him this I remember, I wonder if there's a way to beat this boss, a way to set everyone's soul free, maybe breaking the cycle? It would be great to have a Echo 2 with all the answers we are seeking for, but I feel like this isn't what the creators want to do, I guess this story is more interpretation style letting the players have their conclusions of what's happening and discuss like how we are doing now you know lol, and they would have to make an ending canon which it wouldn't be cool right what I think it's cool about this game is how each route is different in some ways from another and each one has a completely different story or ending, even the feelings that they bring with the events you know that's amazing or they could make more routes according to the one we choose in the first one, it is a lot of work to do so I don't think it would be possible maybe?
Man. I felt kind of bitter during TJ's route. Only choices are pretty much near the beginning and don't see them impact the outcome. Not sure if I missed a particular setup but yeah... how conflicting.
I know you cannot change what happened in the past (or can you... wibbly wobbly spooky Echomagic... would actually be cool if this and The Smoke Room fused to become convoluted in your choices! Muahaha). Granted what you see in little snippits kinda spoils me for what's going to happen to certain individuals in TSR... (in possible routes.. though clearly they aren't canon... unless we're getting into parallel universes... ouch my smol brain.)
Hope to see more options down the track. I love the game but also despise what I'm made to feel. Happy Endings are kinda bleak for the lil musky otter. :'(
I already finished all of the guys' routes then i forgot Jenna had one as well, so then I started playing it. Now, Im easily scared by horror stuff, so I usually avoid them but I read some comments that this game had no jumpscares or straight up horror elements. Then comes the fookin animated shadow doppleganger of Chase. Goddammit almost made me want to throw my phone and cry what the hellll.
Someone pls make a oneshot with a happy ending for Leo omg I'm so sad man. Chase is such a asshole for everything, and this ending... I'm happy not for Chase but for Leo, he's finally free from this beast! Sorry my bad english I'm brazillian <3
Anyway, I reaaaally need more content about Leo, he just became my husbando. A fanfic? Anything aahswhdwshauhsaushsu I'm going crazy! Btw Leo and Janna/Jenna are my favorites. I can't remember her name now lmao I'm such a loser, but I can't help it! Leo just leave echo and come live with me MY BABE <<<3 CHASE YOU NEVER DESERVED HIM YOU SON OF A B
I know :( it's just, I think I just wanna see him happy again. Not with Chase tho I kinda hate him. And when he said that he was crying everyday before sleep, I kinda wish... idk. I feel bad for him, all his obsession with Kudzu and Chase become real, 'cause they end up together. God I hate this feeling, they can't be together. Sorry again for my poor english
I played Leo's route first, and was so disappointed that his "good" ending ended the way it did. I was heartbroken. Playing through the rest of the routes though, I still liked Leo just as much, but really started to hate Chase for what he did, to everyone and to Leo.
I'm glad him and Leo don't end up together, but I really think Leo deserves a guy that'll treat him right. Chase doesn't deserve Kudzu either frankly, but oh well.
I feel like it might be a sign that Arches will take place in this timeline. Every other routes have clear end while TJ's is vague and not really a great closure to the events.
I'm working through playing all your visual novels. I just finished both endings for Leo's route as my first play through and wow. Each option is incredibly sad, but also unavoidable. I enjoyed them both immensely and after getting the more negative ending for Leo first I was really appreciative of the alternative, even though it still really hurt. Thanks so much for making such great stories and beautiful artwork to go along with them. This story has challenged me more emotionally than I was quite prepared for. I can't wait to dive back in to try a different route, get closer to other friends in the group and hopefully learn more about the mystery of Echo.
Possible spoiler for Adastra and Khemia:
I especially appreciate how the concept of the other that we see in Adastra is already present in this earlier work. How it manifests across the universe in small pieces and larger concentrations plays out really directly here. Brian's arc and his experience in the mine was especially chilling. I don't know if I've ever hated a character as much as him and been so satisfied with the conclusion of their story. The ways in which the other gets its tendrils into him and appears to him in different ways is not only disturbing and moving, but probably not too far off from real life.
Murdoch as a character wasn't created until after that chapter of Echo was released. He wasn't mentioned by the spirit because the writers hadn't even come up with the idea for the character yet.
Why doesn't Flynn have multiple endings like the others? it seems kinda strange, especially with the 5 years later thing wgere it shows chase and them college kids
My best guess is that his ending is necessary for tying together all of the routes. If it ended any differently, people who got a different ending wouldn't have any sort of closure for certain events on Leo or Jenna's routes. That being said, of course I wish there were an alternate ending for him (and TJ for that matter).
As for the five years later thing, those college kids are in every ending so far with the exception of Carl's I believe. They'll be part of a sequel that the team is working on!
"CW: Echo can be an emotionally intense experience"
THAT IS QUITE THE UNDERSTATEMENT JESUS HECK.
No spoilers but DAMN, y'all did not hold back and just- the ending of TJ's route... DAMN. Gonna give it a go for other's routes but I need to recover from everything I just- well I just need to recover from everything.
Minor minor spoilers, but I wish towards the end there, on the lake, or honestly any appropriate spot before, I could've had some sort of choice to stop all... THAT... from happening, but that's not on y'all being bad writers or anything that's just me always wanting a perfectly happy ending all tied up with a neat bow. Typically after stories that aren't even half as... Intense... as this I find myself daydreaming about me being in total control and fixing everything and it all being happy and hunky dory.
TL;DR: Great- no ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC story and characters, but highly stressful and anxiety inducing, especially for a control freak that always wants everything to go perfectly and happily.
sorry google translator) (careful spoiler) I went the path of Leo (my first path) in the game and I liked the ending, but is there an outcome in which we stay with Leo, but we DO NOT REMOVE LEGS AND WE DIE! and if so, how to get it. Thank you in advance.
So uh, I only finished Leo's route so far b/c haha sexy wolf. And uh, gotta say I'm thrilled, chilled, and down right terrified at points. Now I gotta play through the rest! The writing is so immersive and entertaining that I can't help but get sucked into the world. Thank you for the tears and fears!
i feel like the killer for Sydney can actually be different in certain routes?? like for TJ it's Heavily implied that it's Chase (and kind of in Leo's route if i remember) but for Flynn, it doesn't specifically say it was Chase. I almost felt like it implied that it was Flynn (or whatever Flynn was at that point) instead. I'm not sure if that was the intention or not, but the concept that the killer changing each time is interesting.
i probably read it wrong but i thought that flynn's route implied that maybe he caused it instead, or at least contributed to it? but also i could be wrong idk
But there're some strange details that lead you to doubt that Chase really killed him, or at least that he wanted to. For example, in Flynn's route, Leo blames Flynn of killing Sidney and Flynn denies it doubtful. Or sometimes he's not sure if Chase did or not, like he doesn't truly believe it. For me, there is something more.
To understand Flynn's ending more, you have to play Jenna route(which is still on going) you can determined Chase and Jenna relationship to be lover or just friend when she asked Chase if he gay in Amusement park.
Right now all routes are finished except Jenna route.
Man, everyones's talking about wanting a "good ending" with the MC staying with Leo, but I strongly believe that that's a bad ending. Kudzu seemed to be way more better than Leo, even if we don't have much info about him. He didn't seem possesive or extremly jealous. Letting Leo leave the past and manage to forget Chase is way more beneficial than build on his happiness over a person. Yeah, he spent 5 years crying for him, but at the end, he let it go. Anyway, this is the only route I've finished so far, I'm hyped to try the others <3
I love the new jenna route update. The animation of chase doppelganger walking behind Leo at The hotell. The smoke room reference when janice hit the maincharacter from tsr with their car. All this freaked me out so bad. But in a good way. Its fucking awrsome!!!!!
Is there a better ending to Flynn's route? I got the ending where Flynn was the monster and was in the closet of who i am assuming is Jenna. I think "Flynn" drowned Sydney.
That's the only posible end of Flynn route and there only one thing wich we can influence on, by choising who's story you want to be completed: Flynn's, Leo's or ... Jenna's maybe ? And I dont think fully possesed Flynn was the killer more likely that *That* thing gave him
all the answers by warping him through time, space and even multiverse's of Echo (as we seen before with Chase's car, it's posible)
and mutilated Flynn" just been an observer of events of the past(only proving point that all going in circles).
there is a bug in Jenna route. Android (maybe spoilers).
after a fight Leo vs Brain. In hotel, when screen became darker in third time and "Leo eyes are still open" (or something like this with the same meaning) , game just crush. I try to make different choices but that do not change anything at all. I use absolutely new saves.
Same happens to me. I'm not sure if it's supposed to do that, or if there's some special animation or something that crashes the Android version of Ren'Py.
I suppose I could try checking on my desktop, but that would require going through the entire Jenna route again...
I just finished Leo's route and I'm really distraught from it. (The rest is spoilers)
I loved Leo but to me seemed rude to everyone accept Chase once you got further into this emotional rollercoaster. It proves he is a bit rude by going on Flynne's route. He is mean to Flynn because Flynn is curious to what happened to Sydney and does not know how to ask for the truth.
But I also get why Leo's the way he is. He was stuck in wondering if him and Chase were going to get back together. I have been in a place like that. I understand what he is going through and I feel a lot of sympathy for him.
Please make an ending where you and leo live together as a good ending i really love leo's route so much and it would be nice to see them together at the end.
Jenna's route... that animation! I didn't even know animations were possible in Renpy... Everyone else having static sprites, but that THING casually walking in made me do a double take.
So, I just finished Leo's route (which broke my heart and put me in depression box AGAIN (echoproject is little too good in this)) I have a question. So, if at last I choose option that ends their's relationship i get the end screen, but in other I dont. This mean that they still workin on it or this just isn't canonical ending?
Vn is very good. But in my opinion there should be more romance.
Low bow to people who did this tremendous work. Let's just say that is highly immerse you in it's events. Every road you choose bring you throught real roller coaster of emotions and after all, at the end when you don't know how to feel about that game 'couse your thoghts are all about
*that feel* ... like many people said before me ... feel of hollowness. After game that feel will not left you so easelly.
Anyway its REALY good VN that you should play if you like that sort of things, but i need to warn you that there is no absoulute good endings or such thing like *True* ending .
So you may go and give it a try, while i lying whith my headphones on and thinking about how to become a full member of society ... again.
I think that you need to have absorbed Adastra to make sense of Echo and the Smoke Room. The underlying concern in Adastra is the encroaching Darkness, which threatens all existence. We are told that there are fragments of Darkness scattered through the galaxy, and Echo plainly has one of these, activated by the mining work. The Adastra universe is layered, with the the "Parents" occupying a level that only the Darkness touches, and the intelligent species living in the material world, a layer 'down' from that. The Parents generate useful technologies for these species, and manage much of their lives, much as the Darkness impacts on humanity in Echo.
It is easy to spin a narrative that links these two. Imagine that Chase is the kidnapee in Adastra, finding his super-wolf and acting as a probe for the Parents towards the Darkness on Earth. He is selected precisely because of his Echo-derived public on-line profile and his ease with wolves.
In the Adastra world, the Parents are concerned by the Other, by the encroaching Darkness. They need to know more about it, but how to probe it without provocation or getting contaminated? Earth offers a welcome opportunity.
Earth is an anomaly in three ways: it is a physical host to a chunk of Darkness, it is, uniquely, home a multitude of intelligent species which have self-uplifted to full sapience. Third, whilst it has been contacted on numerous occasions, it has always thrown off those contacts and all local memory and external records of them are lost, apparently erased in the Sibling databases by some alarming intervention.
The Parents need to observe this last process in action, in order to secure their data structures. Hence, contact is needed, using a sacrificial sibling species of no great intrinsic value. The wolves will do just fine. Their ability to travel interstellar routes is immediately rescinded in order to isolate the culture. The Parents also want to observe the potential for contamination through third party carriers, and in order to find such a carrier, they look at records for past human interactions with the local instance of Darkness. The famous student post by Chase on the Echo riots comes up in the search, and so they look into Chase.
Motivation of Amicus is also started. Due to his social status, he is the only wolf over whom they have strong influence and for the same reason, the only potential interstellar traveller. Examining records from Earth, Chase's social media posting about his history with Leo comes up, suggesting strong wolf-human interaction potential. Chase becomes the target carrier of the Darkness, and he is invited to speak at a paranormal interest seminar in Rome, specifically on his Echo experiences. Delighted by the escape from his closed off world, he accepts. The rest proceeds as scripted. You would need to increase the currently-naive MC's sophistication a notch in the early scenes to catch Chase's world weary cynicism, and there is a later graphic showing distinctly human genitalia. Nothing there that an Photoshop intervention wouldn't fix. Chase and his love of water needs playing up in the lakeside scenes.
The riots that start shortly after Chase's arrival on Adastra are taken by the Parents as a sign that contamination can be spread by a carrier. earth, with its several Darkness hotspots is, therefore, seen as a dangerous source of contamination. Consideration is given to its destruction by one faction, whilst another presses for containment and further study. Earth is, after all, nowhere near achieving interstellar flight on its own.
We see that the attack by Cato on Amicus and Chase was engineered by the Parents with the specific end of installing a neck-based device to monitor Chase's interactions with the Darkness after he is returned to earth. Back on Earth, the 'convenient' outbreak of bird flu that he causes has him sequestered by the US Government in a secure facility in Arizona, 'coincidentally' close to Echo.
In isolation and confinement, his neck collar comes into action. Chase sees the universe as the parents do, as a multilayered structure in which various classes of intelligence have their particular domains. He explores this, meeting the Monitor which instructs him in how to understand this new situation. The local geography is dominated by the Darkness, which exists by virtue of the disorder that it can create in aware minds. Chaotic disorder will not do: it has to be a falling from potential, from grace, on behalf of conscious minds for it to feed. It sets out to subvert such minds and to pull them from their possible attainments.
Chase watches it in action, and notes that humans have developed a means to manage its influence, at least under mild challenge and at a distance. Close to, however, all is overwhelmed. Not-Earth based intelligences are, though, utterly vulnerable to it effects. During his exploration, he proves to be too conspicuous and is noticed. The entity, curious, uses Flynn's demonic avatar and its usual tricks to disrupt social order at the containment facility. Chase escapes, pursued by Flynn, and discovers where he has been held. He meets with familiar local characters, who hide him.
In the middle of this ramshackle hunt, Amicus arrives, having heard of Chase's confinement. during or subsequent to the escape. (Chase is tagged so that he can be tracked by the Galactics, separately from the Parents.) Reunion is punctuated by Chase's horror that his lover is utterly vulnerable to the Darkness, which latches onto his mind. Subsequent Leo-Amicus-Salamander dynamics are spectacular, and the Darkness is fed by them.
Chase goes into full White Knight mode, developing weapons to assault the Darkness in its lair. He transforms Flynn back to his former self and fights along side him. Amicus is preserved and a major reunion occurs. This victory opens the Darkness's archive of victimhood: can the preserved victims be restored to life, but stripped of their imposed negatives. Is that tantamount to destroying their identities, 'censoring' them? Flynn has strong opinions, the stronger when the restoration of Sydney becomes a practical possibility. The Monitor becomes a part of the debate: what is identity, what should and does survive death? And is the view of the Parents absolute, or merely imposed because they have power? The Monitors, hundreds strong, begin to question the eight Parents whom they serve. The mechanism by which Earth contains the epidemic Darkness is studied for its urgent potential use.
The role of the Parents becomes clear to the Sapientiae and the casual experimental use of the wolves chills all of the evolved species. If them then why not us, too? The revelation of Parental bad faith brings a system-wide political pot comes to the boil. Are the Parents kind overseers or manipulative opportunists? This can be a major plot thread in Khemia.
Insight into autopsy of the Darkness remnant casts light on the nature of the Parents. Both exist by virtue of an infrastructure: to eliminate the one, you would have to destroy the other. Will the Parents sacrifice themselves to Save the Universe? So what are the Parents? Kind nurturing entities of players of games? Wait for our next instalment.
I'm guessing the darkness can't do much beyond its domain besides latching on to one's mind. It'd be too weak to do anything beyond its source. One would have to had entered its influence to be affected by it. Without a clear source and domain, it'd dissolve before it could do anything. I doubt Chase would cause hysteria in Adastra. Unless Adastra itself already harbors darkness rooted within its lands.
Though it'd be interesting to see Chase fight off the darkness, he'd need literal magic to do so. Preferably one that can enforce the natural laws, something that can suppress chaos manifest. Highly doubt Chase could produce such weaponry, let alone the technology for it.
Such a story could be great with a few tweaks here and there.
If the Parents exist in a framework, then that framework can be used to construct tools. The tools demonstrably work on the mundane world, as with the "Parent tech" that forms in the injured neck, the seeing helmet and so on. Chase is given an interface to this environment, but only is akle to see how it "works" when he is invaded b y the Other at the containment facility.
I didn't think I could dislike Chase any more for what he *did*, but after learning what he did to Leo as well, fucking hell. No excuse there. No wonder Leo's like he is.
I feel the same. Everyone's saying how Leo acts like a psycho, and yes, he does go off the deep end to be fair, but he hasn't exactly been treated fairly in the past.
SPOILERS BELOW!!
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I mean, Leo is obsessed with Chase. Is it because he actually does have an otter fetish? Who knows, but I interpreted the scene with his porn stash more indicating that he's looking for smut he can insert Chase and himself into, rather than him only liking Chase's appearance.
But for Chase to go do THAT to him? He knows he is jealous and insecure. So he thinks it would be funny to pretend he was pissing off with another guy as a JOKE? And learning Jenna was in on it too? Not only that, having Jenna always trying to one-up, or straight-up belittle him when he's trying to impress the guy he's into? Chase kind of ending the relationship, but never actually ending it also fucked Leo up. He's left wondering "Are we? Are we not?" Only in Leo's good ending where Chase actually ends things does Leo actually start doing the healthy thing and move on. He needed to end it sooner, not just leave him in relationship limbo for years. It's no wonder Chase and Jenna aren't my favourite.
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Yesterday i write theory about Echo and about Chase n the gang but my post was deleted. Did i was right on some part ?? 😅
If you're the person who wrote the comment directly below, your post was probably deleted because you started with a major spoiler for the end section of Flynn's route on the main page's comments without giving any spoiler warnings. Whether you were right or not is irrelevant, it's more for protecting people who haven't completed the routes.
You have to remember that just because you and a lot of others are up to date, not everyone is.
it doesn't mean your right, you just didn't put a warning for spoilers lol.
Maybe put a warning before massive spoilers, thanks.
did you not finish the others route ???
How can you ?? 😂
sorry for the spoilers, but I'm kinda confused....could anyone probably give me a hand?
for Leo, he refused to move leave Echo to take care of his family, which is why Chase broke up with him, because the wolf thing to take care of the pack, according to the beginning of stories, right?
but in the meantime he said all his siblings already moved out, even his parents moved to Payton, and they already tried to sell the house. so why was him stuck in there , even at the cost of breaking up? especially when the economic in Echo was at bay for like an century already? he could have just moved and open the family shop some elsewhere，just like his parents already did.
Spoilers mainly for Leo's Route
Leo wanted to stay in Echo for a number of reasons. He refused because he's stubborn, which is why the best ending means you HAVE to break up with him. Chase HAS to move on to get out. Part of Echo's supernatural effects is a burden. A burden of guilt, of trauma, weighing you down and keeping you still. Leo was ironically one of the more affected ones by Sydney's death, not that anyone got off scott free. More to say that it seems Leo's trauma response was to tighten up the group, and refuse to let them go, to let it go, out of fear. Moving out of Echo is a change, a big one. Leo cant do change. Even after what happened, in basically every route he STILL doesn't move. His trauma response was perfect for the curse of Echo to feed off of, keeping him there. His only reason for staying wasn't just his family, that was more so an excuse.
thanks a branch. I fully understand that chase HAS to leave Echo, to survive, to the least.
but for Leo, do you mean he used family as a excuse, to cover his fear? after rechecked the leo line, I figured that it's a logical theory. just want to make sure if I get you right.
Yeah. His family is an excuse to justify it to himself and to others.
There is/might be spoilers, I'm sorry.
This story has never emotionally fucked with me in a way I've never seen before, I played a long time ago, and every time I think about it, that twisting feeling in my gut, the increase in heart and breathing rate. Breaths and chest feel heavy, just thinking about the word Chula. Yesterday I decided to play again, in thought I could muster the strength to play again, I was deeply wrong, my heart rate almost constantly stayed up and I started to shake and fidget, when someone happened that was just too much all I could think was "fuck x24" I did Leo's route first and it hurts my heart knowing you can never truly have him, through his obsession that he could be yours forever, he is a poor baby and needs hugs and cuddles. Then I played Flynn, and at one point I didn't wish to continue. it hurt so much to watch Leo go, to act like your not interested, I don't care what he did. Leo was amazing, he is so kissable and huggable.
It's the next day since I played it, and I'm hungry but if feel like if I ate I would throw it up, no distraction in my life can distract me from remembering Leo and him calling Chula. I will be wired for a couple of days. So this is my warning. The warning atop should seriously be taken into account because I've never felt worse. Getting close and attached to the characters will only hurt you. It's a great game that can conjure these feelings but awful because it does the opposite of Adastra.
Thank you for anyone who is reading, I wanna know how you felt when you played if its an overwhelming game.
very much alike feelings shared.
though I still got a dump dreaming for an ending where Leo got not SO heartbroken in the Jenna's route.
/////////////////////spoilers apologies & warning///////////////
At the very beginning there's a choice telling her that you were gay, remember? sounds to me like a chance.
especially when in this route, even the possessing ghost itself was kinda took enough of it, so he showed up and told Chase IN THE FACE that who is actually hurting Leo. so at least Chase knew that Leo is possessed. yet the madness isn't really started, lol.
by the way, I tried to convince myself that Leo isn't so loving as it seems, by some details found in Echo Route 65.
if you remember there was a website where Leo looked for lawnmower. look again at WHEN. and see for how long he did NOTHING with what he found in there. not even a short message.
didn't very much working on me, still trying though.
P.S., it is VERY NOT RECOMMENDED for you to play route 65 , if you haven't yet. because knowing what will happen in Echo main story, Route 65 will be unbearably sad and bitter to you. it is about how the couple got together in the first place at their high school.
I feel exactly the same! I have anxiety and depression and omg, I've never been this worse, and I love it! How could such a great writing makes this with me. Leo's my favorite, and it hurts me so much that him couldn't be "happy" with Chase. It's been more than a week and I still feel bad, and anxious, and, like, don't wanna eat anything.
Though, I like to think that I, myself kinda take care of him in the end, idk I like to think that way. Put youself together dude! It's just a VN, Leo's fiiiiine! He's gonna find someone who loves him for real.
Chase is so terrible omg lmao. Sorry my bad english anyway, I'm from brazil, probably my english sucks but idc.
Also, I never want to play this game again, at least not now. I want to take MONTHS away from this VN actually. I love it of course but it hurts too much. Sorry for being cringe
I LOVE this game, it’s my second furry novel after adastra, however I needed help with something, I’ve been playing Jennas route and I got to a “to be continued” part, that led me to discover that this game is still in development. Which is awesome! But then I noticed there was an update 4 days ago, I downloaded Echo about 2 weeks ago and I was wondering how I update it? Do I just reinstall to the new version? And will it save all my save files and choices I’ve made so far? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
yet the Jas route isn't finished in the 0.50 version. have to wait a little more.
haven't played this in so long, but why is the audio so loud?
there is no option to turn it down in the settings.
Omg if the spirit that talks with Chase is who I think it is then The Smoke Room won't have a good ending as well :P
Massive, Major Spoilers for other routes and later into the game...
The thing possessing Chase isn't actually Samuel, it's more of a twisted facsimile of him. An Echo (!), if you will. It's strongly implied in Jenna's route that the real Samuel survived the events of The Smoke Room in 1915, and returned to Echo only to be run over by Sidney's father and Janice, the coyote that works in the diner when they were much younger. From there I theorise the spirit that poses as Samuel latches onto Sidney's father, then onto Sidney, and finally onto Chase.
Or maybe I'm thinking too much about it and want Samuel to have a happy ending because I like him so much more than Chase.
Omg I finished TJ route and I can't believe what Chase and TJ had done with Sydney, from what I get it there is like two spirits? I liked your theory but it seems like there is two entities, one is supposed to be Samuel and other the curse that there is in Echo, because if you think carefully and see some details in TJ's rote like the format of the words, it seems there is a evil thing "helping" Chase solve his problems telling him to kill Flynn and everything end right and while that happens there is a conversation with other word style saying things like this is a cycle, we're puppets trying to make him notices that he's being manipulated, but at the same time I think Chase is a bad person with this curse messing his mind or not because it never mentioned him regretting what he's done with Sydney he doesn't feel even a bit bad for it and I thought TJ was good at the beginning but he just looked everything happen and pretended again nothing happened. I think the curse of Echo just make their personalities and wishes more intense making they do these things, like Leo's route he clearly was obsessed with Chase and his jealousy just getting worse as time passed, and the bad end of this route just makes everything more clear, in my opinion there isn't happy end but you got it right lol, maybe I change my opinion as I do the other routes but with everything I know until now I have this theory in mind...
Edit: I was remembering what happened and the evil entity could be a twisted version of Sydney as well, they are like a vengeful spirit, his business was with Chase and his friends so he would make them go crazy, and the twisted version of Samuel don't have anything to do with them so he would be more aware of the situation and try to make Chase fix things and break these cicles of tragedy and revenge, there are some points that don't make sense but I guess it's kind of what's happening, and don't worry I want Samuel to have a good ending as much as you do ;)
Theres one separate entity that is a force over the town, manipulating people. These people die and become wraiths, shadows of their former selves and are the more....specific entities. The burned creature for example(that Jenna mentions seeing and is seen when they ride in the van in multiple routes) is a specific character. We know who it is. And their actions line up. There is a "boss" so to speak, tormenting people on a very general level, assumidly to feed on their misery or fear or whatever. We MIGHT have seen said boss in Flynn's route, but thats up to interpretation. Depending on that, we have at least 3 known and named entities in the Burned Man(Flynn's route), Chase's shadow(Possibly? End of Leo's route/the Smoke Room prequel for context), and possibly Sydney(again, Flynn's route).
Ohhh that's some important information, I need to play the other routes to know everything better, I don't know what to think about the Burned Man thought 🤔 it's the thing that crashed the car and made everyone fell into the lake in Leo's route right? In the end of his route I first thought that shadow was Sydney but that wasn't making sense, like he was just watching Chase making bad choices, making Leo go crazy and enjoying this madness but I agree that's probably Chase's shadow there, the way he is afraid of his reflection of his form, he even mentioned seeing a dark form just like him watching right? And until where I know that's the only route this happens soo... No wait the mirror thing happens in TJ's route lol, but he's afraid of something that looks like him this I remember, I wonder if there's a way to beat this boss, a way to set everyone's soul free, maybe breaking the cycle? It would be great to have a Echo 2 with all the answers we are seeking for, but I feel like this isn't what the creators want to do, I guess this story is more interpretation style letting the players have their conclusions of what's happening and discuss like how we are doing now you know lol, and they would have to make an ending canon which it wouldn't be cool right what I think it's cool about this game is how each route is different in some ways from another and each one has a completely different story or ending, even the feelings that they bring with the events you know that's amazing or they could make more routes according to the one we choose in the first one, it is a lot of work to do so I don't think it would be possible maybe?
You also see chase's shadow in Jenna's route, in honest to god one of the scariest fucking things in the entire game.
Man. I felt kind of bitter during TJ's route. Only choices are pretty much near the beginning and don't see them impact the outcome. Not sure if I missed a particular setup but yeah... how conflicting.
I know you cannot change what happened in the past (or can you... wibbly wobbly spooky Echomagic... would actually be cool if this and The Smoke Room fused to become convoluted in your choices! Muahaha). Granted what you see in little snippits kinda spoils me for what's going to happen to certain individuals in TSR... (in possible routes.. though clearly they aren't canon... unless we're getting into parallel universes... ouch my smol brain.)
Hope to see more options down the track. I love the game but also despise what I'm made to feel. Happy Endings are kinda bleak for the lil musky otter. :'(
I already finished all of the guys' routes then i forgot Jenna had one as well, so then I started playing it. Now, Im easily scared by horror stuff, so I usually avoid them but I read some comments that this game had no jumpscares or straight up horror elements. Then comes the fookin animated shadow doppleganger of Chase. Goddammit almost made me want to throw my phone and cry what the hellll.
Someone pls make a oneshot with a happy ending for Leo omg I'm so sad man. Chase is such a asshole for everything, and this ending... I'm happy not for Chase but for Leo, he's finally free from this beast! Sorry my bad english I'm brazillian <3
Anyway, I reaaaally need more content about Leo, he just became my husbando. A fanfic? Anything aahswhdwshauhsaushsu I'm going crazy! Btw Leo and Janna/Jenna are my favorites. I can't remember her name now lmao I'm such a loser, but I can't help it! Leo just leave echo and come live with me MY BABE <<<3 CHASE YOU NEVER DESERVED HIM YOU SON OF A B
I'm so cringe I can't-
Won't lie, I feel the same way about Leo. Leo's good end was still a bad end in a eyes and they did him dirty, big time.
I know :( it's just, I think I just wanna see him happy again. Not with Chase tho I kinda hate him. And when he said that he was crying everyday before sleep, I kinda wish... idk. I feel bad for him, all his obsession with Kudzu and Chase become real, 'cause they end up together. God I hate this feeling, they can't be together. Sorry again for my poor english
I played Leo's route first, and was so disappointed that his "good" ending ended the way it did. I was heartbroken. Playing through the rest of the routes though, I still liked Leo just as much, but really started to hate Chase for what he did, to everyone and to Leo.
I'm glad him and Leo don't end up together, but I really think Leo deserves a guy that'll treat him right. Chase doesn't deserve Kudzu either frankly, but oh well.
Ikr??????
Where can I find the echoproject's discord?
https://discord.gg/Q5Xkgkn here
Did one of the TJ routes has the message "The End" at the end of it?
I only got it for Leo's route and Carl's route (I don't have finished the others yet)
If one of the TJ's routes have it, can someone tell me the choices I have to choose to get it?
Thank you
(sorry for my bad English)
How many routes are there? I went through TJ's And Leo's
I don't know I didn't went through all of them for now
5 routes
Has Flynn's route been completed yet?
Oh okay thanks, And i forgot to mention. I got "the end" at the 2nd route of leo...
TJ's route only has one ending, so you got it!
Leo and Carl are the only two with multiple endings (so far), though Flynn also gets a "The End."
Ahh thanks i have been going crazy over if im done or not
I feel like it might be a sign that Arches will take place in this timeline. Every other routes have clear end while TJ's is vague and not really a great closure to the events.
I'm working through playing all your visual novels. I just finished both endings for Leo's route as my first play through and wow. Each option is incredibly sad, but also unavoidable. I enjoyed them both immensely and after getting the more negative ending for Leo first I was really appreciative of the alternative, even though it still really hurt. Thanks so much for making such great stories and beautiful artwork to go along with them. This story has challenged me more emotionally than I was quite prepared for. I can't wait to dive back in to try a different route, get closer to other friends in the group and hopefully learn more about the mystery of Echo.
Possible spoiler for Adastra and Khemia:
I especially appreciate how the concept of the other that we see in Adastra is already present in this earlier work. How it manifests across the universe in small pieces and larger concentrations plays out really directly here. Brian's arc and his experience in the mine was especially chilling. I don't know if I've ever hated a character as much as him and been so satisfied with the conclusion of their story. The ways in which the other gets its tendrils into him and appears to him in different ways is not only disturbing and moving, but probably not too far off from real life.
I love all the visual novels you made
Murdoch as a character wasn't created until after that chapter of Echo was released. He wasn't mentioned by the spirit because the writers hadn't even come up with the idea for the character yet.
(Spoilers, kinda)
Why doesn't Flynn have multiple endings like the others? it seems kinda strange, especially with the 5 years later thing wgere it shows chase and them college kids
My best guess is that his ending is necessary for tying together all of the routes. If it ended any differently, people who got a different ending wouldn't have any sort of closure for certain events on Leo or Jenna's routes. That being said, of course I wish there were an alternate ending for him (and TJ for that matter).
As for the five years later thing, those college kids are in every ending so far with the exception of Carl's I believe. They'll be part of a sequel that the team is working on!
THAT IS QUITE THE UNDERSTATEMENT JESUS HECK.
No spoilers but DAMN, y'all did not hold back and just- the ending of TJ's route... DAMN. Gonna give it a go for other's routes but I need to recover from everything I just- well I just need to recover from everything.
Minor minor spoilers, but I wish towards the end there, on the lake, or honestly any appropriate spot before, I could've had some sort of choice to stop all... THAT... from happening, but that's not on y'all being bad writers or anything that's just me always wanting a perfectly happy ending all tied up with a neat bow. Typically after stories that aren't even half as... Intense... as this I find myself daydreaming about me being in total control and fixing everything and it all being happy and hunky dory.
TL;DR: Great- no ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC story and characters, but highly stressful and anxiety inducing, especially for a control freak that always wants everything to go perfectly and happily.
ikr my anxiety went all over the place when i first played this ;-; but still it was an amazing visual novel
little spoiler
What specie is Sydney? I guessing he's an otter too, since in Flynn's route he sees him as one at the bar.
Yes, he is an otter. That is mentioned very early on actually.
Oh, I must have missed it. Thanks!
sorry google translator)
(careful spoiler)
I went the path of Leo (my first path) in the game and I liked the ending, but is there an outcome in which we stay with Leo, but we DO NOT REMOVE LEGS AND WE DIE! and if so, how to get it. Thank you in advance.
Nope. Either you stay and die or you leave and live.
Ohhh...
it's a little sad but I like the ending, it is logical and overwhelming!
I'm glad Chase found his happiness!
So uh, I only finished Leo's route so far b/c haha sexy wolf.
And uh, gotta say I'm thrilled, chilled, and down right terrified at points.
Now I gotta play through the rest!
The writing is so immersive and entertaining that I can't help but get sucked into the world.
Thank you for the tears and fears!
so SPOILERS but
i feel like the killer for Sydney can actually be different in certain routes?? like for TJ it's Heavily implied that it's Chase (and kind of in Leo's route if i remember) but for Flynn, it doesn't specifically say it was Chase. I almost felt like it implied that it was Flynn (or whatever Flynn was at that point) instead. I'm not sure if that was the intention or not, but the concept that the killer changing each time is interesting.
Really? I didn't get that from FFlynn's route though. In what part is that implied?
i probably read it wrong but i thought that flynn's route implied that maybe he caused it instead, or at least contributed to it? but also i could be wrong idk
No not really. Chase killed Sydney.
Sydney's killer you mean? That gets pretty clear at the end of TJ's route.
But there're some strange details that lead you to doubt that Chase really killed him, or at least that he wanted to. For example, in Flynn's route, Leo blames Flynn of killing Sidney and Flynn denies it doubtful. Or sometimes he's not sure if Chase did or not, like he doesn't truly believe it. For me, there is something more.
Um...so I just played for the first time on Flynn's route. Can someone plz elaborate on what happened? I'm a little confused.
Also what other routes are currently available?
To understand Flynn's ending more, you have to play Jenna route(which is still on going) you can determined Chase and Jenna relationship to be lover or just friend when she asked Chase if he gay in Amusement park.
Right now all routes are finished except Jenna route.
SPOILERS
Man, everyones's talking about wanting a "good ending" with the MC staying with Leo, but I strongly believe that that's a bad ending. Kudzu seemed to be way more better than Leo, even if we don't have much info about him. He didn't seem possesive or extremly jealous. Letting Leo leave the past and manage to forget Chase is way more beneficial than build on his happiness over a person. Yeah, he spent 5 years crying for him, but at the end, he let it go. Anyway, this is the only route I've finished so far, I'm hyped to try the others <3
Does the game include smut?
It does but it isn't the focal point.
Um, is Jenna route already finished?
Still on going!
Spoilers
I love the new jenna route update. The animation of chase doppelganger walking behind Leo at The hotell. The smoke room reference when janice hit the maincharacter from tsr with their car. All this freaked me out so bad. But in a good way. Its fucking awrsome!!!!!
For Flynn's route does to be continued mean it's still wip or is it for an erry effect?
Oh, because...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zunRT0f_PLg&feature=emb_title
SPOILERS!!
Is there a better ending to Flynn's route? I got the ending where Flynn was the monster and was in the closet of who i am assuming is Jenna. I think "Flynn" drowned Sydney.
That's the only posible end of Flynn route and there only one thing wich we can influence on, by choising who's story you want to be completed: Flynn's, Leo's or ... Jenna's maybe ? And I dont think fully possesed Flynn was the killer more likely that *That* thing gave him
all the answers by warping him through time, space and even multiverse's of Echo (as we seen before with Chase's car, it's posible)
and mutilated Flynn" just been an observer of events of the past(only proving point that all going in circles).
Thanks, that clears things up
does anyone know where the music is from? like is it just royalty free stuff or did someone produce it?
fantastic game btw !!!
there is a bug in Jenna route. Android (maybe spoilers).
after a fight Leo vs Brain. In hotel, when screen became darker in third time and "Leo eyes are still open" (or something like this with the same meaning) , game just crush. I try to make different choices but that do not change anything at all. I use absolutely new saves.
Same happens to me. I'm not sure if it's supposed to do that, or if there's some special animation or something that crashes the Android version of Ren'Py.
I suppose I could try checking on my desktop, but that would require going through the entire Jenna route again...
yeah, i already watch a walkthrough and there is some kind of animation that didn't work on android
Use skip feature
I just finished Leo's route and I'm really distraught from it. (The rest is spoilers)
I loved Leo but to me seemed rude to everyone accept Chase once you got further into this emotional rollercoaster. It proves he is a bit rude by going on Flynne's route. He is mean to Flynn because Flynn is curious to what happened to Sydney and does not know how to ask for the truth.
But I also get why Leo's the way he is. He was stuck in wondering if him and Chase were going to get back together. I have been in a place like that. I understand what he is going through and I feel a lot of sympathy for him.
It gets worse. Play Jenna's route, see what he's been put through
Please make an ending where you and leo live together as a good ending i really love leo's route so much and it would be nice to see them together at the end.
Spoilers (kinda...)
Leo's Bad ending resume in 2 Words:
FEETus Deletus
BOI.
Ohhhhhhh!!! I got startled so badly.
SPOILERS!
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Jenna's route... that animation! I didn't even know animations were possible in Renpy... Everyone else having static sprites, but that THING casually walking in made me do a double take.
So when is the update coming?
Spoiler!!!!!
So, I just finished Leo's route (which broke my heart and put me in depression box AGAIN (echoproject is little too good in this)) I have a question. So, if at last I choose option that ends their's relationship i get the end screen, but in other I dont. This mean that they still workin on it or this just isn't canonical ending?
Vn is very good. But in my opinion there should be more romance.
No, I think you die there from severe blood loss.
It would be great if there were more romance but that would be too good for Echo and the group's dynamic doesn't really allow for more romance.
The end screen is like you reached the good end. Have more story after this screen.
Low bow to people who did this tremendous work. Let's just say that is highly immerse you in it's events. Every road you choose bring you throught real roller coaster of emotions and after all, at the end when you don't know how to feel about that game 'couse your thoghts are all about
*that feel* ... like many people said before me ... feel of hollowness. After game that feel will not left you so easelly.
Anyway its REALY good VN that you should play if you like that sort of things, but i need to warn you that there is no absoulute good endings or such thing like *True* ending .
So you may go and give it a try, while i lying whith my headphones on and thinking about how to become a full member of society ... again.
I think that you need to have absorbed Adastra to make sense of Echo and the Smoke Room. The underlying concern in Adastra is the encroaching Darkness, which threatens all existence. We are told that there are fragments of Darkness scattered through the galaxy, and Echo plainly has one of these, activated by the mining work. The Adastra universe is layered, with the the "Parents" occupying a level that only the Darkness touches, and the intelligent species living in the material world, a layer 'down' from that. The Parents generate useful technologies for these species, and manage much of their lives, much as the Darkness impacts on humanity in Echo.
It is easy to spin a narrative that links these two. Imagine that Chase is the kidnapee in Adastra, finding his super-wolf and acting as a probe for the Parents towards the Darkness on Earth. He is selected precisely because of his Echo-derived public on-line profile and his ease with wolves.
Oohh that kinda makes sense!
Especially after what Sam said in Flynn's route.
"First 'it' came from the gate, then 'they' came from the stars" iirc
The mining incident opened the gate then more came from the stars attracted by the growing chaos of Echo.
Try this:
In the Adastra world, the Parents are concerned by the Other, by the encroaching Darkness. They need to know more about it, but how to probe it without provocation or getting contaminated? Earth offers a welcome opportunity.
Earth is an anomaly in three ways: it is a physical host to a chunk
of Darkness, it is, uniquely, home a multitude of intelligent
species which have self-uplifted to full sapience. Third, whilst it
has been contacted on numerous occasions, it has always thrown off
those contacts and all local memory and external records of them are
lost, apparently erased in the Sibling databases by some alarming
intervention.
The Parents need to observe this last process in action, in order to
secure their data structures. Hence, contact is needed, using a
sacrificial sibling species of no great intrinsic value. The wolves
will do just fine. Their ability to travel interstellar routes is
immediately rescinded in order to isolate the culture. The Parents
also want to observe the potential for contamination through third
party carriers, and in order to find such a carrier, they look at
records for past human interactions with the local instance of
Darkness. The famous student post by Chase on the Echo riots comes
up in the search, and so they look into Chase.
Motivation of Amicus is also started. Due to his social status, he is the only wolf over whom they have strong influence and for the same reason, the only potential interstellar traveller. Examining records from Earth, Chase's social media posting about his history with Leo comes up, suggesting strong
wolf-human interaction potential. Chase becomes the target carrier of the Darkness, and he is invited to speak at a paranormal interest seminar in Rome, specifically on his Echo experiences. Delighted by the escape from his closed off world, he accepts. The rest proceeds as scripted. You would need to
increase the currently-naive MC's sophistication a notch in the early scenes to
catch Chase's world weary cynicism, and there is a later graphic
showing distinctly human genitalia. Nothing there that an Photoshop
intervention wouldn't fix. Chase and his love of water needs playing up in the lakeside scenes.
The riots that start shortly after Chase's arrival on Adastra are taken by the Parents as a sign that contamination can be spread by a carrier. earth, with its several Darkness hotspots is, therefore, seen as a dangerous source of contamination. Consideration is given to its destruction by one faction, whilst another presses for containment and further study. Earth is, after all, nowhere near achieving interstellar flight on its own.
We see that the attack by Cato on Amicus and Chase was engineered by the Parents with the specific end of installing a neck-based device to monitor Chase's interactions with the Darkness after he is returned to earth. Back on Earth, the 'convenient' outbreak of bird flu that he causes has him sequestered by the US Government in a secure facility in Arizona, 'coincidentally' close to Echo.
In isolation and confinement, his neck collar comes into action. Chase sees the universe as the parents do, as a multilayered structure in which various classes of intelligence have their particular domains. He explores this, meeting the Monitor which instructs him in how to understand this new situation. The local geography is dominated by the Darkness, which exists by virtue of the disorder that it can create in aware minds. Chaotic disorder will not do: it has to be a falling from potential, from grace, on behalf of conscious minds for it to feed. It sets out to subvert such minds and to pull them from their possible attainments.
Chase watches it in action, and notes that humans have developed a means to manage its influence, at least under mild challenge and at a distance. Close to, however, all is overwhelmed. Not-Earth based intelligences are, though, utterly vulnerable to it effects. During his exploration, he proves to be too conspicuous and is noticed. The entity, curious, uses Flynn's demonic avatar and its usual tricks to disrupt social order at the containment facility. Chase escapes, pursued by Flynn, and discovers where he has been held. He meets with familiar local characters, who hide him.
In the middle of this ramshackle hunt, Amicus arrives, having heard of Chase's confinement. during or subsequent to the escape. (Chase is tagged so that he can be tracked by the Galactics, separately from the Parents.) Reunion is punctuated by Chase's horror that his lover is utterly vulnerable to the Darkness, which latches onto his mind. Subsequent Leo-Amicus-Salamander dynamics are spectacular, and the Darkness is fed by them.
Chase goes into full White Knight mode, developing weapons to assault the Darkness in its lair. He transforms Flynn back to his former self and fights along side him. Amicus is preserved and a major reunion occurs. This victory opens the Darkness's archive of victimhood: can the preserved victims be restored to life, but stripped of their imposed negatives. Is that tantamount to destroying their identities, 'censoring' them? Flynn has strong opinions, the stronger when the restoration of Sydney becomes a practical possibility. The Monitor becomes a part of the debate: what is identity, what should and does survive death? And is the view of the Parents absolute, or merely imposed because they have power? The Monitors, hundreds strong, begin to question the eight Parents whom they serve. The mechanism by which Earth contains the epidemic Darkness is studied for its urgent potential use.
The role of the Parents becomes clear to the Sapientiae and the casual experimental use of the wolves chills all of the evolved species. If them then why not us, too? The revelation of Parental bad faith brings a system-wide political pot comes to the boil. Are the Parents kind overseers or manipulative opportunists? This can be a major plot thread in Khemia.
Insight into autopsy of the Darkness remnant casts light on the nature of the Parents. Both exist by virtue of an infrastructure: to eliminate the one, you would have to destroy the other. Will the Parents sacrifice themselves to Save the Universe? So what are the Parents? Kind nurturing entities of players of games? Wait for our next instalment.
Quite intriguing for the most part.
I'm guessing the darkness can't do much beyond its domain besides latching on to one's mind. It'd be too weak to do anything beyond its source. One would have to had entered its influence to be affected by it. Without a clear source and domain, it'd dissolve before it could do anything. I doubt Chase would cause hysteria in Adastra. Unless Adastra itself already harbors darkness rooted within its lands.
Though it'd be interesting to see Chase fight off the darkness, he'd need literal magic to do so. Preferably one that can enforce the natural laws, something that can suppress chaos manifest. Highly doubt Chase could produce such weaponry, let alone the technology for it.
Such a story could be great with a few tweaks here and there.
If the Parents exist in a framework, then that framework can be used to construct tools. The tools demonstrably work on the mundane world, as with the "Parent tech" that forms in the injured neck, the seeing helmet and so on. Chase is given an interface to this environment, but only is akle to see how it "works" when he is invaded b y the Other at the containment facility.
Not entirely sure if the Parents can deploy such an interface considering Chase's location, which is Earth, a place free of parental influence.
Highly doubt Chase's neck piece could serve as a channel considering how small and limited it's function is, unlike the archives.
So unless the parents have somehow made Chase's body capable of channelling and materializing various energies, such a situation is a bit nonsensical.
regarding the latest update...
what the fuck
what the FUCK
WHAT the FUCK
WHAT THE FUCK
W H A T T H E F U C K
*WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK*
Actual spoilers...
I didn't think I could dislike Chase any more for what he *did*, but after learning what he did to Leo as well, fucking hell. No excuse there. No wonder Leo's like he is.
I N D E E D
I feel the same. Everyone's saying how Leo acts like a psycho, and yes, he does go off the deep end to be fair, but he hasn't exactly been treated fairly in the past.
SPOILERS BELOW!!
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I mean, Leo is obsessed with Chase. Is it because he actually does have an otter fetish? Who knows, but I interpreted the scene with his porn stash more indicating that he's looking for smut he can insert Chase and himself into, rather than him only liking Chase's appearance.
But for Chase to go do THAT to him? He knows he is jealous and insecure. So he thinks it would be funny to pretend he was pissing off with another guy as a JOKE? And learning Jenna was in on it too? Not only that, having Jenna always trying to one-up, or straight-up belittle him when he's trying to impress the guy he's into? Chase kind of ending the relationship, but never actually ending it also fucked Leo up. He's left wondering "Are we? Are we not?" Only in Leo's good ending where Chase actually ends things does Leo actually start doing the healthy thing and move on. He needed to end it sooner, not just leave him in relationship limbo for years. It's no wonder Chase and Jenna aren't my favourite.