Part 27: Blackwell Convergence - Update 2

Update 2

So last time we rejoined Rosa and Joey as they attempted to help the ghost of Allen Reiken move on after his suicide. They eventually succeeded by convincing him to try to commit suicide again, but that's not really a great outcome. We'll do better than that today, and then get started on the game proper.

Inside Allen's Office



Allen has three issues which torment him even after death, and one of them is his wife having left him. In his confused stated, Joey convinced him that Rosa is his wife. Let's see if she can work him out.

Well, uh... I love you, Allen. That's why I'm here.
You... love me.
Sure.

When we tried this yesterday, Rosa said she'd made a mistake, and Allen didn't take it very well. This doesn't go much better.

After your pet lawyer took everything I had left.
Uh, sure.
You expect me to trust you?
Sure?
Sandra. Watch very carefully. I'm going to jump, and it'll be YOUR FAULT.

Geez. This dude doesn't trust Sandra at all, and he's more interested in making her feel guilty than anything else. We'll have to try a different approach.



...what?

This catches him off-guard.

What?

Joey, too!

You're pathetic. Why do you think I left? I just wanted to look down on you one more time, just to confirm what a big loser you are.
You're right.

Allen barely even pauses before sadly agreeing with Rosa. This seems a cruel approach, but this is Allen's chance to work through his wounds.



Joey recognises the situation and eggs Allen on.

Huh?
Stand up for yourself, man!
Stand up for myself?
You gonna let people push you around all your life?

The pep talk works, and the fire starts to come back into Allen's heart.

You're right. You're RIGHT.
Let her have it.

Joey is going to enjoy this



I'm broke, yeah. The business is gone, yeah. Life gets tough once in a while. A marriage is a partnership, Sandra. You certainly were happy to stick around when things were good. Yeah, when I was bringing home 200 grand a year, I wasn't such a loser. Then when I'm in trouble, you're nowhere to be found. But you know what? You were just dragging me down. Without you around, I'm going to do even better. I might not be much, Sandra. But I'm better than you. You're not worth dying over. Get outta here.

Allen lets forth a seething rant on a bewildered Rosa, who listens in silence before turning and walking away.



Joey is appreciative of his efforts Allowing Allen to vent his spleen seems to take a load off his plate.

That felt good!
Quite a rush, huh?
I feel like I can do anything! Like I've got a second chance.

Uh oh. Maybe he's taken a bit too much off the plate...

Er...
First thing I'm going to do is buy back this office!
Yeah, about that...

Oh, man. This is better than driving him to repeating his suicide, but it's still going to hurt in a second...

I made some mistakes before. I won't make em again!
Ah...
I might have fallen once, but...



Suddenly the truth dawns on him.

Wait. I fell, didn't I?



And there it is. The blowing wind sound accompanies the fading in and out. It's a neat touch that the wind sound has remained unchanged over all the games so far.

I remember now.
I'm sorry.

Allen then turns his attention to Rosa, who he can now see perfectly clearly.

You're not really my wife, are you?
No. I'm not.
I went out on the ledge... and I slipped. I don't know why I went out there, but I wasn't going to jump! I was confused. For some reason, it seemed like the right thing to do. Stupid. Stupid.



Allen is a defeated man. Joey decides to give him one last boost before sending him on his way.

Hey, what happened to that can-do attitude of yours?
It makes no difference now, does it?
Maybe not to anyone else, but it does to you.
Hm. Maybe you're right. So what do I do now?



A quick unfastening of Joey's tie, and we're on our way. That's a much better way of dealing with things.

While we're at it, let's see what Allen's other two issues are. You only have to succeed in any one of them, but we'll look at all three.



What woman would want me?

Last time we saw this scene, Joey told Allen that he was right to think he was unattractive. This time, we'll try an alternative approach.

Hey, you like redheads?
Huh?
It's a simple question. Do you like redheads?
Sure, I guess.

Hahaha, I can see exactly where this is going, and it's going to be awesome.

Great! I've got a girl who's perfect for you.
You do?
Sure. She's inside. Wanna meet her?

Allen is not at all comfortable with this.

Is this a trick?
Of course not!
...
Okay.

Joey's charming smile convinces Allen to come back inside. This should be fun!



Seriously, Joey absolutely loves putting Rosa in awkward situations with absolutely no warning.

Go on. Introduce yourself.
She's kinda young for me, isn't she?
Don't let that stop you.
...

Rosa does not appreciate what is happening here.

What are you doing?
SHH!
Go on, tiger. She's waiting.



Oh man. Rosa does her best to play along here.

Oh. Um. SURE.
Really. Why?
Well, uh... I, um... Think you're cute?
Cute.
Yeah.
Me.
Sure.

Hahaha, she looks terrified Allen isn't buying it for a second.



No, really.
I have a mirror. I'm not blind. Don't patronize me. You've got some angle, and I don't like it. Thanks for trying, but this isn't going to work.
Hey, wait! She was trying to be NICE.

I guess we failed at helping Allen overcome his issues with women. But on the plus side, we might have helped Rosa develop a few more issues with men!!



Rosa is furious with Joey, hahaha.

Just call me Matchmaker Mallone.
I'm not seducing a ghost.
You don't have to go all the way.
N-O spells NO.

As much as I love Lauren, this scene just couldn't have happened with her. Rosa and Joey are wonderful together



Let's try this a bit differently.

A nice guy.
Sure.
Let me tell you something, lady.
Women don't like "nice guys." What's your angle? You're not interested in me.
Wait-
I'm wasting my time.

But that goes just as poorly as before. It's clear that the only way we're going to pierce Allen's armour is to break him down, and then let him build himself back up again.



See what?
If you were really as big a loser as everyone says you are.
...what?
What?

Rosa isn't finished her verbal onslaught though.

Seriously. Me date YOU? Get real. You're repulsive!
You're right.



Here we go again...

Huh?
Stand up for yourself, man!
Stand up for myself?
You gonna let people push you around all your life?
You're right. You're RIGHT.
Let her have it.



This is gonna hurt...

You're not so hot yourself.
What?
Yeah. You've got the most annoying voice I've ever heard! And you slouch. You look like a hunchback.
He does have a point.
Hey!

Poor Rosa, hahaha.

You squint, you know that?
I do?
Your glasses are filthy. And makeup - ever heard of it?
Ooh. Ouch!

Joey is enjoying this way more than he should, haha.

I get it now. You insult guys like me to make yourself feel attractive. Because you can't get a guy of your own. Well you ain't getting me, lady. So get outta my office!

Once again, Allen enjoys his newfound confidence just long enough to realise that he's dead. This is the second "good" way to deal with him.



Really, though, Allen's identity seems to be primarily based on his business. That would be the best way to get through to him. Let's try to do that.

Wants to talk to you about starting another business?
Really?
Someone wants to start a business with me.

Right after he's declared bankruptcy. I can see why that would seem a tad suspicious.

That's what she said. Why don't you come inside and talk to her?
Well, okay.



Is that right?
You bet.
This isn't some kind of gag?
Course not! She's loaded. Go on, talk to the lady.

Rosa, of course, knows absolutely nothing about big business. This is going to be even more awkward than before.

So, what's the story? You really want to invest in a bankrupt publishing supply company?
Ah... Yes. Yes I do.
Why?
Well, uh...



Oh really? From who?
Oh, people. In the biz.
The biz.

Hahaha, "the biz" You're adorable, Rosa.

Yes. You know, word gets around.
Nobody would say good things about ME. I think you're full of it.



Way to put me on the spot.

Let's try a different angle.



Smart? If I was smart, would I put ALL my goods in one warehouse? When that warehouse caught fire, I lost everything.
That's not smart. That's stupid. You really want to do business with a guy like me?
Yes?
You've got some angle here. I don't trust you.

I have to admit, that probably was a bit stupid. At least he should have taken out an insurance policy on the goods or something.

Okay, let's talk to Allen for the last time. It seems the only thing that works is abusing him, so let's do that.



I love the way Rosa looks scared out of her wits while she badmouths Allen to his face

...what?
What?
Do business with YOU? Hah. That's a laugh. You're the joke of the publishing world.



Joey goes through his usual pep talk, and Allen lets forth with another rant.

Hey, lady. You don't know ANYTHING. I built this business from scratch. I clawed and wheeled and dealed all the way to the top. You see this office? You see that view? Look me in the eye and tell me I don't deserve it. I've worked all my life to be the best. Okay, I had one big setback. Maybe I thought it was over, but it's not! I got this far once. I'll do it again! You can take your money and shove it where the sun don't shine. I don't need you. Get outta here.

It's not as amusing as when Joey tries to hook him up with Rosa, but this is probably the most sensible outcome. I'd consider this outcome as canon. Of course, it doesn't take long before Allen realises he's dead, and can't actually start over after all.



No. I'm not.

Time to get this guy dealt with...

Opening Credits



The tie comes out...



...and Rosa quickly sends Allen on his way.



With that, the intro is complete, and Blackwell Convergence officially starts.

I like the little mini-case at the beginning. It's short, sweet and simple, though still manages to be pretty depressing in it's own right. Allen's story has nothing to do with the rest of the game, but that's kind of nice in some sense. Think of him as like a short before a movie truly begins.

It also functions really well as a short tutorial without actually feeling like one. It has the player utilise all of the elements of Convergence - inventory items, switching between characters, having to compile notebook clues, dialogue trees - without feeling like the game is pointing a giant arrow at any of them. Overall I think it's a very effective little scene.

Also notice that the intro music, around one minute in, is an up-tempo version of Unbound's theme. In the game it cuts in after the opening credits, as we scroll over a Manhattan skyline.

Rosa's Theme



After the credits, we end up in Rosa's apartment. If we fail to save Allen the "good" way, Joey is less than impressed. If we do get the good outcome, his line of dialogue changes to:

Another day, another satisfied spook.

Other than getting the achievement, that altered line of dialogue is the only difference that the good outcome has on the game itself.

I'd call this day done, wouldn't you?
Yeah. Although...
What?
Isn't there something we're supposed to do tonight?
I don't think so.

Rosa with a social event? That does seem unlikely.

I feel like we're forgetting something.
I'd ignore that feeling if I were you.

If there is something, Joey obviously isn't interested.



Amusingly, our first proper clue of the game is that Rosa is forgetful.



Let's just take some time to look around Rosa's apartment. It's mostly the same as in the original, though obviously prettier. Here's the original apartment, for comparison.



Looking in the trash can, Rosa bitterly comments:

It's full of rejection letters from publishers.
Best place for them.

Apparently Rosa has been sending off manuscripts over the last six months, but hasn't met with much success. I guess she gave up on the whole journalist thing?



I could never get past step number 4.

The books next to the door are Publishing For Dummies guides, but I guess they haven't helped very much.

Up on the wall next to the door, Rosa has a few of her newspaper articles framed.

Just a bunch of old articles I wrote for "The Village Eye" newspaper. I don't know why I've kept them. I hated working there.



Her boss was a real piece of work. I'm glad she quit that gig.

Joey didn't like Rosa working there either. One of the framed articles in particular is interesting.



It's the story Rosa wrote about JoAnn, moments before Joey first appeared to her in Legacy. Hilariously, Rosa put Adrian's name straight into the article despite promising not to Gilbert claims this was unintentional, but I much prefer to think of it as absolutely intentional

This was the last article I wrote for "The Village Eye." It was also my very first case as a medium. I was never cut out for journalism.

We can look individually at the three girls.

JoAnn and her friends were the victims of a spirit called the Deacon. I never met her, living or dead. But her death enabled me to save her two friends, which is something I guess.
We found Alli's ghost haunting the Washington Square dog park. Another victim of the Deacon's madness. She's all right now. Wherever she is.
Susan was the only one of the three girls to survive. I looked her up once, after it was all over. She left New York and went back home to the midwest. I assume she's all right.

Good to see Susan survived, and got out of the mental hospital. I guess our handling of the Deacon allowed her to move on with her life



Rosa is impressed with her own byline!



She actually signed her name to this?

Joey, on the other hand, is less impressed.



Some familiar photos are also on the wall.

Joey looks angry. Of course, that's nothing unusual. Auntie looks kind of happy. I wonder what she was smiling about.
My mother died in a car crash soon after I was born. She looks so young in this picture. More like a kid sister than a mother.
My father died in a car crash soon after I was born. Looking at this picture is like looking at a stranger.

Joey can also look at the picture, which is a bit more interesting since he was actually there when the picture was taken.



Seems kind of frivolous, now that I think of it. Look at her, all smiles. Was she really so happy? Or did the camera just catch her at the right moment? It was so long ago, I don't remember.

Knowing Lauren, she probably wasn't "so happy". My guess is she was just enjoying the opportunity to frustrate Joey

I never saw Maria much, but she was all right. She liked to cook, is all I really remember.
I never saw Jack much, but he was a good kid. Smart. Read a lot. I guess that's where Red gets it from.

Let's see what else we have in here...



Somehow, he blocks TV and radio signals. I got cable installed last month. Seems to do the trick, even though I rarely watch TV.

Rosa now has cable, which I guess explains why she was able to watch television in that cartoon I linked a couple of days ago. And also why there was nothing worth watching on.



Rosa has some kind of tribal drum here. Joey wonders what it's for.

She only played it once, then shoved it up here. She looked disappointed, but she didn't tell me why.

Checking out the drum with Rosa clears up the mystery.

It's an African ghost drum. It's supposed to keep ghosts away when you play it. It doesn't work.

Aww. Looks like Rosa took some time to accept that Joey was here to stay.



Rosa continues being a huge dork There's an awesome outtake in the bonus features where Rosa's voice actress, a real-life burlesque dancer, is horrifed at how much of a dweeb her character is.



Another familiar photo...

I don't remember anything about that day. I barely remember Auntie. All my life, I wanted to know more about her. I never imagined she was a medium. We almost look like a real family, with Joey standing there. The most dysfunctional family in the country, but still. I look scared out of my mind. Maybe I could sense Joey even then? If so, I had a good reason to be scared.

That's a good point, actually. Babies can see ghosts. What about a small child? Not sure.



Going all over the city, trying to get that sullen kid to open up. I told her it was a bad idea, but she was stubborn. For all the good it did her. Look at that little rugrat. If she knew the trouble she was causing, she didn't show it.

This photo can only have been taken at most months before Lauren suffered her early-onset dementia. It must be hard for Joey to look at it



Rosa still has her beloved Griff.

I've had him since I was a kid. He's really starting to show his age.
Hey Griff. How're you today? Fluff all secure? Holding yourself together?
...
Awesome.

Rosa is seriously adorable



Was it almost thirty years ago? Jesus. I'm surprised it lasted this long.

I'm surprised the plant hasn't taken root in its synthetic fur.



Okay, that's enough looking around the apartment. The most important thing here is Rosa's computer. There is now a little operating system.



Complete with a few namechanges of popular internet sites, presumably to prevent lawsuits. Rosa has a "Bmail" account.



Let's see what emails she has:

FROM: Rel Day Books

Dear Rosangela Blackwell:

Thank you for submitting your rough draft of "The Devil and the Deacon." to our editor. Unfortunately, we are not looking for new ghost stories at this time. We wish you the best of luck in the future!

-Elizabeth Scheier, Rel Day Books


Hahaha, apparently Rosa tried to write a book about the whole Deacon affair.

Rosa also has an email from that horrible physician from the first game, Doc Quentin.

FROM: Donald Quentin

Dear Ms Blackwell,

I just wanted to touch base and see if everything was all right with you and yours. My door is still always open if you ever feel the need to chat. All the best,

-Dr. Donald Quentin, Bellevue Hospital


Yeah, we're not going to be visiting that asshole. Fuck Quentin.



"Tomo"? Not really sure what that is, but Gilbert has an easter egg mentioning Tomo in several of his games. My guess is it's a private joke, though maybe it'll become a plot point in a later Blackwell game?

Next up, Rosa has received an email from the Brittany hall dorm.

FROM: NYU housing office

Rosangela Blackwell:

Please be aware that a stay away policy has been put into effect against you by a Kelly Hawthorne. Should you harrass her further, we will be forced to get the police involved.

-Tom Small, NYU housing office


Haha, Jesus, Rosa has got a restraining order placed on her. Oh, sorry, a "stay away policy."

Another email is from Yu Na Lee, the mother of Susan Lee from the first game.

FROM: Yu Na Lee

Hello.

I don't know who you are, but my daughter Susan insisted I contact you. She is home and resting and appears to be doing fine. Please stay away from us. Susan lost her two best friends and nearly her life, and her mental health is fragile.
-Yu Na Lee


There is one more email if we scroll down, but it's just another rejection letter.

FROM: Polar Bear Publishing

Dear Rosangela Blackwell:

We reviewed your submission of "The Devil and the Deacon." Unfortunately, novels of this sort are not what we are looking for. If you have anything else to share, please contact us.
-Laurie Claret, Polar Bear Publishing.



Next up, we have a rudimentary search engine, cunningly entitled "Oogle". I see what you did there, Gilbert. Lauren actually has an entry:

Archive
September 23, 1981

Police were brought to the door of an East 23rd street apartment last night, due to reports of loud screaming and crashing. What was thought to be a domestic dispute was a single woman, identified as Lauren Blackwell, who had apparently undergone a psychotic episode.

Hiding in the closet was a five year old girl, identified as her niece.

Blackwell was apprehended and admitted to Bellevue, while the niece is currently in foster care.

September 23rd, hey? Lauren only received the email from John Durkin regarding taking custody of Rosa on April 21st. So it took less than five months before she went crazy. That's really depressing



Looking up Tomo brings a strange little page.



Rosa also has her own homepage which is hilariously Web 1.0, considering the game is set in 2007. Unfortuantely it won't ever be constructed in this game, so this page is pointless.



Anyway, that's Rosa's apartment. Tomorrow we'll begin to tackle our important mission of "figuring out what Rosa has forgotten!" All this drama and more can only be found right here in the Blackwell thread!!