Fathersland
THERE ARE NEW THREATS TO HOME AND COUNTRY!
About 1,700 words in Super Videotome. Soundtrack by jaghatarkonst at BeautyWorld Records. Images from Wikimedia Commons and A Place Without Bodies - volume 1 by Colin Spacetwinks.
Content warning
This is about a man radicalizing into the worst version of himself.
Discussion of fascism, white nationalism, transphobia, misogyny, pogroms, and colonialism. Brief mentions of sexual assault, gun violence, and lynching. Some frames may cause eye strain, though there are no strobing animations.
Asset credits
I
- Suburban Cul-de-sacs, Tony Webster (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Suburban_Cul-de-sacs.jpg)
- A Place Without Bodies Volume 1, Colin Spacetwinks (https://spacetwinks.itch.io/a-place-without-bodies)
II
- Highway 401 Bridge to USA, Haljackey (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Highway_401_Bridge_to_USA.JPG)
- Day laborers picking string beans 1a33789v, John Collier (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Day_laborers_picking_string_beans_1a33789v.jpg)
- Southport panoramio (1), Tanya Dedyukhina (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Southport_-_panoramio_(1).jpg)
- UK – 14 – architecture of parliament buildings, McKay Savage (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UK_-_14_-_architecture_of_parliament_buildings_(2996839565).jpg)
- Nigel Farage (34315957122), Steve Bowbrick (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nigel_Farage_(34315957122).jpg)
- Store – Springfield, Ohio, Cindy Funk (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Store_-_Springfield,_Ohio.jpg)
- PICT0284 Springfield, Ohio, Cindy Funk (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PICT0284_Springfield,_Ohio.jpg)
- Springfield, Ohio interior, Cindy Funk (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Springfield,_Ohio_interior.jpg)
- WashMonument WhiteHouse, Andy Dunaway (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WashMonument_WhiteHouse.jpg)
- Alligator Alcatraz on 2025-08-04(5), SovNAT (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alligator_Alcatraz_on_2025-08-04_(5).jpg)
- Buffalo Bisons, Andre Carrotflower (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buffalo_Bisons.jpg)
III
- New Front Door, Inside(2335797499), Ryan Snyder (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_Front_Door,_Inside_(2335797499).jpg)
- Bret anchors at the Fox News HQ in New York, Kate686868 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bret_anchors_at_the_Fox_News_HQ_in_New_York.jpg)
- Confederate flag cornhole boards Galax Old Fiddlers Convention Felts Park Galax VA August 2012, Eli Christman (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Confederate_flag_cornhole_boards_Galax_Old_Fiddlers_Convention_Felts_Park_Galax_VA_August_2012.jpg)
- NAVE, LOOKING EAST TOWARDS THE APSE. NOTE GALLERIES - St. Helena's Episcopal Church, 501 Church Street, Beaufort, Beaufort County, SC HABS SC,7-BEAUF,1-9, Library of Congress (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NAVE,_LOOKING_EAST_TOWARDS_THE_APSE._NOTE_GALLERIES_-_St._Helena%27s_Episcopal_Church,_501_Church_Street,_Beaufort,_Beaufort_County,_SC_HABS_SC,7-BEAUF,1-9.tif)
- Gun shop in Las Vegas, June 2014, adrigu (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gun_shop_in_Las_Vegas,_June_2014.jpg)
- DOWNTOWN PARKING LOT - NARA – 553303, Tom Hubbard (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DOWNTOWN_PARKING_LOT_-_NARA_-_553303.jpg)
- Overhead power line stringing CA 2013,Tonyglen14 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Overhead_power_line_stringing_CA_2013.jpg)
- 2021 storming of the United States Capitol DSC09156 (50826223403), tyler Merber (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2021_storming_of_the_United_States_Capitol_DSC09156_(50826223403).jpg)
- East Grace Street, Adolph B. Rice (https://archive.org/details/4990240065_e9a8a9a13f_o)
- Retrovolt Arcade 2017 - Arcade Machines 1, Arcade Perfect (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Retrovolt_Arcade_2017_-_Arcade_Machines_1.jpg)
- Children's toy soldiers (Elastolin) of the German Army (Wehrmacht Heer), from Nazi Germany in the 1930s, Lee Wright (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Museum_of_World_War_II_Boston_Natick_Massachusetts_2015._German_Army_Wehrmacht_Heer_Elastolin_toy_soldiers_Nazi_Germany_1930s.jpg)
- Toy soldier (AM 1996.165.392-4), Collection of Auckland Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toy_soldier_(AM_1996.165.392-4).jpg)
- Toy soldier miniature figure produced in Germany in the 1930s old worn - Nazi drummer Sturmabteilung SA brownshirt Trommler Schlagzeuger Spielmann 01, wlashbrook (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toy_soldier_miniature_figure_produced_in_Germany_in_the_1930s_old_worn_-_Nazi_drummer_Sturmabteilung_SA_brownshirt_Trommler_Schlagzeuger_Spielmann_01.jpg)
- Antique toy soldier military band from different nations (26747269995), Thomas Quine (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antique_toy_soldier_military_band_from_different_nations_(26747269995).jpg)
- Doll House Figurine, terimakasih0 (https://pixabay.com/photos/doll-house-figurine-doll-house-toy-1473991/)
- Doll House Figurine Doll House Toy, terimakasih0 (https://pixabay.com/photos/doll-house-figurine-doll-house-toy-1473995/)
- Natural Grass, Ekenedilichukwupraise (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Natural_Grass.jpg)
IV
- A Place Without Bodies Volume 1, Colin Spacetwinks (https://spacetwinks.itch.io/a-place-without-bodies)
- DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Travels to El Salvador, DHS (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DHS_Secretary_Kristi_Noem_Travels_to_El_Salvador_(54419956854).jpg)
- A Night at the Garden (2017), Marshall Curry (https://vimeo.com/237489146)
- Battle strike 1934, Unknown (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_strike_1934.jpg)
- Publishers and Editors of the Black Press at the I.G. Farben Trial, Nuremberg, Office of Military Government (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Publishers_and_Editors_of_the_Black_Press_at_the_I.G._Farben_Trial,_Nuremberg.jpg)
- Harvard Ku Klux Klan, 1924, Unknown (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harvard_Ku_Klux_Klan,_1924.jpg)
- Honolulu Chinatown Fire of 1900 (PP-17-11-001), Frank Davey (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Honolulu_Chinatown_Fire_of_1900,_photograph_by_Frank_Davey_(PP-17-11-001).jpg)
- Bison skull pile-restored, Detroit Public Library (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bison_skull_pile-restored.jpg)
- A white gang looking for blacks during the Chicago race riots of 1919, The West Virginian (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chicago-race-riot.jpg)
- Lynching of Laura Nelson and her son 1, George H. Farnum (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lynching_of_Laura_Nelson_and_her_son_1.jpg)
- USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) Mission Accomplished, Juan E. Diaz (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Abraham_Lincoln_(CVN-72)_Mission_Accomplished.jpg)
- Golpe de Estado 1973, Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Golpe_de_Estado_1973.jpg)
- UN honour guard outside armistice building at Panmunjom, Donald Bushby (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UN_honour_guard_outside_armistice_building_at_Panmunjom.jpg)
- Bodo League massacre near Daegu, U.S. Army (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bodo_League_massacre_near_Daegu.jpg)
- Buried IED blast in 2007 in Iraq, Soldiers Media Center (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buried_IED_blast_in_2007_in_Iraq.jpg)
- Operation Wetback, U.S. Border Patrol Museum (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Operation_Wetback.png)
- Columbus Circle Statue (New York), Beezlykiernan (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Columbus_Circle_Statue_(New_York).JPG)
- Journalist David Seaman kneels before the Lord 2 pray 4 strength, justice, healing at the March 25 -pedogate march -pizzagate -missingdcgirls -humantrafficking, Dannielle Blumenthal (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Journalist_David_Seaman_kneels_before_the_Lord_2_pray_4_strength,_justice,_healing_at_the_March_25_-pedogate_march_-pizzagate_-missingdcgirls_-humantrafficking_(33488281992).jpg)
- Waco Siege – FBI aerial photograph from April 19 1993 No. 2, Federal Bureau of Investigation (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Waco_Siege_%E2%80%93_FBI_aerial_photograph_from_April_19_1993_No._2.jpg)
- Surveillance photograph of Vicki Weaver 21 Aug 1992, U.S. Marshal Service (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Surveillance_photograph_of_Vicki_Weaver_21_Aug_1992.jpg)
- Woodland, Yolo County, California. Ten cars of evacuees of Japanese ancestry are now aboard and the . . . - NARA – 537826, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Woodland,_Yolo_County,_California._Ten_cars_of_evacuees_of_Japanese_ancestry_are_now_aboard_and_the_._._._-_NARA_-_537826.jpg)
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Development log
- Who goes Wally?Sep 28, 2025
Comments
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I want to live, but I'm so tired of breathing the rotting stench, I just want it to stop
oh wow, i have goosebumps and a million words to say, you have said it all so well and with such timing and conviction. we will stay alive if even just to see the next sunrise and the smile of a friend.
Incredible punch of a game, the juxtaposition between Wally and Ellie, the rotting because of being stuck not really in the past but in an alternate world of hate that destroys everything around it and then the hope for a nebulous future that can only be seen if we stay alive for it... Not to mention the chosen images and the writing were stellar too. Fantastic little window into the cancer at America's heart, may it be excised with great force.
Does someone knows the exact title of the ending music ? I can't find it
Thanks for playing! It’s a track I made, just “ENDING THEME” atm. jaghatarkonst made the ambient soundtrack that plays in the main sections
Oh I though it was from them too. I reaaally love how the ending sounds nice job !
Thanks!! :>
I want to write something about this game, but I’m not sure what exactely.
It was very well written. Tying the individual radicalization to large scale developments made all of this so visceral. It was scary to read about this blatant hate and violence, that just seeks to find an outlet, while the individual actors still see themselves in the rights. Wally still seemed alone at the end, eventhough he so desperately tried to appeal to that group. It is such a sad existence. Made even more sad by the fact that—to distract from said lonelyness—they hurt others. Such a waste.
The outlook was somewhat hopeful, but definetly not painless. I’m not sure I got the outro images. I think I’m missing context. It seemed like a back and forth?
The music and selection of images was superb!!
When I was done with playing I had to sit in silence for a while. It is so good. I feel like the text was so precise and made some really thought through connections between topics and pictures, like a really worked out mind map. But it is also so poetic and the mix between the absolute horror and the pacing was perfect. There is comfort in reading mouthsized pieces of text at your own speed, that made it feel kind of intimite in the nightmare that we all exist in together. The sound and visual style was so strong and immediatly set a tone and a strong vibe and tied it all together. I have to play it again in a few days.Now I have to go back to bed and stare at the ceiling for a few hours.
Not sure what this is. Wally appears to be quite retarded, though he has mediocre points. Racism has no place in the USA, as we are all made in God's image. Domestic violence has no place in my nation, nor does rape.
The male youth are being radicalized because we are despised by the left and beloved by the right. Both parties are the same; the only difference is that one is gay.
I will support my Nation despite its flaws, and I will criticize it for its pandering to demographics that make up an insignificant percentage of our population.
We have no place in the Middle East, nor any other region. We should not pay for others' security; we should not fund the wars of others, and we should not be dragged into wars by allies that are more like enemies than friends.
My nation's politicians are corrupt, controlled by corporate mobs through bribes.
I expect there will be a Civil War on the horizon. I just hope that my family and my state emerge unscathed and better than what came before.
Your mom gay
dude this is not the place for this
Honestly it’s like a chapter I forgot to write in. DLC about the boys watching this happen, unsure what they have to do with any of this and why the gays are so worked up
I’m sorry to hear that you feel despised by the left. I can relate to that feeling. But, I think what makes approaching the left more difficult for men is, that it demands something. It demands to look at one’s own contribution. And that is really painful. Especially since forgivness and grace is something we don’t foster enough as a society. Forgivness also doesn’t come without working on the issues. And their is also the issue of gaining trust. Men get away with a lot, and the receiving end are all the described groups. So, leftist groups need to be sure, they won’t get thrown under the bus. Because they certainly don’t enjoy the same advocacy by established forces if that happens.
But, it is worth doing that work. It is worth being part of a community that builds each other up. It is so healing to receive compliments and acceptance. That is something that often happens in queer communities. Through sheer necessity. But it doesn’t examt them from working through their own to negative contributions to relationships and society at large. They often times, just see the need to do so faster, because society doesn’t provide for them as well.
In your words I see you don’t want to align yourself with Wally—noone does. But, so many of the points you made align with the character’s believes. A nation is something you were randomly born in. Most people feel an attachment to their country. Understandably so. The way you learned to live only works in that context, you hopefuly met friends there, and you’re benefiting off the achievments the ones that came before us. Additionally, in a different country you start at zero, and suddenly feel ostracized. And that knowledge should motivate one to share. On a national level but also on an international one. At least in one’s mindset. The wars in the middle east where fought mainly for control of oil. So yes, the US had no business to be there. But business was exactely what led them there. And the US didn’t contributed in the wars of its allies if there wasn’t some major benefit for them.
I can understand the doom-y outlook on the US. A country who’s populatino is militarized to such a degree is a powder keg. But, that is not the be all and end all. Connecting with people, becoming active in action that benefits your neighborhood can prevent this. It is especially difficult because the US doesn’t offer that many public spaces and connected neighborhoods. But just because it is difficult doesn’t mean it is not doable. My estimation is that this connecting work is mainly done by women. Why not join and help there? It is certainly a very leftist notion. And there are helping hands needed. It can be very rewarding to feel like you can actually contribute to some positive change.
Just some food for thought. I’m not even sure you will come back to read the replies to your comment. But I saw it and felt this game really stirred up some discomfort in you. And I wanted to encourage you to not just put it to the wayside and be satisfied that the left is not welcoming and the systems are not working. But look at were you saw something in yourself that you want to get rid of and how to make a contribution to something better.
(Kind motivated myself here to also check if there isn’t something in my district that I could join to make it better—such is self-reflection >.<)
Fair, as for the allies part; Mainly I mean Israel as we have been dragged into their wars and fund them as well for no net-benefit to ourselves. Hell they even bombed and killed Americans on USS Liberty.
As for sharing the USA has been the largest contributor of aid for countries in need for years, we need to quit that; our national debt is above 30 trillion, though that's because of budgetary issues.
Personally I dislike both sides. They are the sides of the same coin doing the same thing with different faces. I don't see any change unless we disband the political party system and abolish lobbying(bribes) for Political representatives.
Also the main reason why the US doesn't have connected neighborhoods besides suburbs and public spaces is because our Cities were based on grid systems which were based on railroads which turned into cars; not necessarily bad but it prevents the interconnection of European cities, not that its impossible its just absurdly expensive, with construction workers being paid by hour instead of job which causes construction sites to go on for ages.
Frankly I don't have the time for connecting work either, I need to work, sleep, further my career until I can afford my hobbies. Also I wouldn't know where to start, and for better or worse it isn't really a priority of mine. I'll probably join a blacksmithing group or something about cars I dunno.
I'm not gonna speak on Men getting away with alot, cause I am uninformed on that topic and its more or less a powderkeg.
You've made good advice, I appreciate it.
Amazing game, loved the ending, intense portrait of our current political moment.
I might use this in my class to talk about what games can be. Thank you.
Haunting yet pertinent. I'm reminded of Days of Hate by Ales Kot.
I’ll have to check it out, it looks incredible.
Neat ! Thanks.
<3
<3<3
There’s nothing more indicative of a lost southern soul than a lonely confederate cornhole board, left to rot in the elements as its owner does confined within four walls..
I love Five Star Crest. <3
A cold fragmented psychodrama about 21st century politico-pathology. A kind of blueprint study for stochastic violence. Uses a montage cut technique (suited to Videotome!) to great effect, jumping from datum to datum, "building the case" for us to consider. The result is a kind of alienation effect followed by some delayed-reaction emotional whiplash. Harrowing and stylish.
this was wonderful. a powerful portrait of the future. I hope we'll make it there, fuck america
i hope so too. tysm for setting up this space and jam <3
Whats wrong with america bro 😞