References

A number of references can be found throughout the game that tie into the game's themes.

## Chapter 1: Homecoming

### Just Between Us

A poster hangs on the wall of Alyson's room for the movie "Just Between Us." In the movie, the main character, Hannah, and her childhood friend embark on a road trip to appease the ghost of Hannah's late sister. Hannah and Alyson share some traits with each other as they both are lost in trying to figure out what to do with their lives and haven't dealt with the trauma of their past. They are both a bit socially shy. The movie also parallels the twin's journey in the game as the memories (or "ghosts") of their past sets them off on a quest they hadn't expected. Alyson remarks she can't wait to force Tyler to watch the movie with her and that he'd hate it.

### Time and I Against Any Two

Alyson has a book on her desk in her room titled "Time and I Against Any Two." This is a quote from Baltasar Gracian, which is translated: “Time’s crutch effects more than the iron club of Hercules. God Himself chasteneth not with a rod but with time. He spake a great word who said, ‘Time and I against any two.’ Fortune herself rewards waiting with the first prize.” The quote speaks of time as an unstoppable force, thus "time and I against any two" means having time on your side against any other forces of the universe.

The significance of this book in Alyson's room may be a reference to the ten years Alyson and Tyler have been apart. The lingering question between the two of them is whether their close bond as small children has survived the test of time into adulthood.

### Rashmon

Tyler mentions "Rashmon" when the twins first discover their memories don't match up. The "Rashmon Effect" is a term that describes the unreliability of eyewitnesses. The effect is named after the 1950 Akira Kurosawa film "Rashomon" in which a murder is described by four witnesses in contradictory ways. This effect explains how the twins remember events differently from each other.

## Chapter 2: Family Secrets

### Stardust

While searching Eddy's office, Tyler finds a depiction of the constellation Draco in Eddy's desk drawer. The constellation is formed through a string of words. Tyler quotes "Though we are destined to burn we emerge as stardust," which suggests that though everything comes to an end, we are all united in being part of the universe. Alyson says to burn the paper with fire.

Being united as particles of the universe deals with the theme of the grief and the idea that in the end we will be together. This is meaning is even more poignant knowing Mary-Ann named her first child Leo (another constellation). Choices made in the game that bring Tyler and Alyson closer together or further apart are representing by two stars aligning or separating. Alyson's desire to burn the paper may be an indication of how she's still running from her mother's death and hasn't dealt with the trauma it's caused her.

### Under The Waterfall

Upon visiting the cemetery, Tyler can pause on the bridge and interact with the river, saying "The purl of a runlet that never ceases... With a hollow boiling voice it speaks And has spoken since hills were turfless peaks." This is a quote from a poem "Under The Waterfall" by Thomas Hardy. The poem deals with the theme of loss, love and the power of memory. The speaker of the poem is thrown into a memory every time she plunges her arm into a basin of water.

Tyler referencing this poem is perhaps a hint of what is come. The twins encounter more memories of their past in the cemetery than other location in the game. Their memories are largely of loss - of each other, of Mary-Ann, and of Carol Brown. The love that Mary-Ann had for her children and her possible fear of losing them is also discussed. The never ceasing flow of the runlet may be a reference of the twin's inability to escape their past.