The Meaning Behind Wireland

This is just a post explaining some of  the meaning behind the story and endings of Wireland. I left it all to be ambiguous and up to the player to interpret what happens in the endings on their own, but since this is a game for  my real boyfriend and what he means to me, the game and endings are full of my feelings that I wanted to convey to him.

This talks at length about Wireland's story and both endings, so maybe click away if you don't want spoilers ^^

Wireland

The existence of Wireland and how it turns out to be a dying land is a representation of Wire herself and her hidden loneliness and emotional scars. Byubyu traversing Wireland and learning about it, its quirks, its problems, sometimes seeing cracks is kind of what it's like to start a relationship with someone and over time you begin to see all their flaws, traumas, etc. Maybe the player can gauge that Wire is not comfortable actually talking about them (she doesn't respond to Byubyu when he notices cracks and pretends she doesn't know Liar's true identity even though you can tell she already knows everyone in Wireland). Only until the very end where Wire is ready to give up her life does she admit to Byubyu that Wireland is crumbling.

For players what the "cracks" actually mean for Wire is left ambiguous because I feel like for anyone they may know) what their own "cracks" mean. Whether it's trauma or a mental illness etc. There's a game I was planning before Wireland that also alludes to Wire's trauma so maybe one day people will find out what hers is.

Endings

In the bad ending, Wire wakes up in a studio  apartment and realizes she actually dreamed Byubyu's entire existence. Like I said, this is a game I made for my boyfriend  conveying my feelings to him. The apartment I drew is based on my real studio apartment I lived in by myself in art school, where my depression was at its worst point. I was really lonely and isolated and I didn't feel real and like life wasn't real or had no color (ie the bad ending is all cold colors instead of the warm colors of the rest of the game). I met my boyfriend while I was at that point in my life and for a good long time I didn't tell him about my trauma, extreme depression etc. When it finally started coming to light I was ashamed of myself and embarrassed. However my boyfriend (who also has depression and tackles mental illness) has always been supportive, warm, and understanding to me and I can't express enough how his support tethers me to reality.

In the good ending, it turns out it was Byubyu's dream. This ending is ambiguous as to whether Byubyu really just went on some journey to save his girlfriend and he simply just woke up after being transported back or whether everything was OK and it was just a dream. But as the player can see, his last choice affected what happened. Byubyu's last choices are "I love you" and "there has to be another way" (referring to Wire wanting to die). The choice emphasizing that he won't let her die means he's making the choice to continue to be with her and be a support for her. The "I love you" choice has a note of a last goodbye (ie "I love you but this is what's best"). If he chooses not to stay by her side, Wire has imagined the entire thing as a drawn out scenario  where she just wakes up and it's like it never happened.

Shop Wire & Liar

Shop turning out to be Liar is a representation of acting like someone dependable, helpful, "together" etc when you are actually emotionally volatile and self sabotaging (ie "someone like you could never love me"). In a sense, Shop Wire and Liar are like two halves of True Wire.

Lesser Wires

The  Lesser Wires (the non-boss Wires appearing in the overworld) are a small inside  reference to times of distress in my life. I had a job as a barista where I was sexually harassed countless times, a dark phase of loneliness and isolation, and as a student I was sexually assaulted, etc. I worked as an art teacher for a while and the job was just shit but I liked the good times of teaching kids. The part of the game tutoring Syrup is a little thing alluding to that too lol. Syrup and Maple (Syrup's mom) are also a reference to Parasite.

Pepo & Mochi

I guess most of my followers would know this but they are my boyfriend and I's cat and bunny Pepper and Mocha ^^. Pepper is infamous for wanting treats (what we call yummahs) literally every second of everyday lmfao. Mocha was spayed laat year.

Pepotown Inn

The paintings on the wall in Pepotown Inn are Orange and Yellow by Mark Rothko, Autumn Rhythm by Jackson Pollock, and Quadrant Mickey Mouse by Andy Warhol (but with Pepo instead).

Other references

Bunny Talent - Billy Talent (my boyfriend's favorite band)

Mews - Muse (my favorite band)

Shine Ramyun and Indomeow Meow Goreng  - Shin Ramyun and Indomie Mi Goreng  (my favorite instant noodles)

Mochi Cola, Peposi, Dr Pyebber - Coca Cola, Pepsi, Dr Pepper (the "Root Beer" item is designed to resemble A&W Root Beer)

Sleepynight tea & Red Pekoe - Sleepytime tea and orange pekoe

Bim Wortons (the coffee item and where Barista Wire works) - Tim Hortons

Yummahs - made to resemble  Temptations cat treats

Devilzilla & "Good Man" shirt - reference to a Godzilla shirt I own and Vegeta's "Bad Man" shirt in Dragonball Z

Pepotown Guard Richard & Pepotown Guard Parker - Richard Parker from Life of Pi

Captain Wireland & Dragonbean - Captain America and Dragonball

And more if you can find them ^^

Why does Wire have paws and Byubyu doesn't?

They're too different kinds of cat people. It's not that deep lol. Maybe think about the practicality of why Byubyu would need fingers.... jk