#I'm not trying to invalidate anybody here or disprove anything

[infinite-infinite-stars]

...I think I finally figured out how to articulate what I always, like, assumed Darkiplier's whole deal to be.

Now keep in mind I'm basically a filthy casual when it comes to The Markiplier Lore™. I've been like, aware of it since pretty much the beginning, I think, but I didn't really start paying attention until Heist and Space (and even then, those two are what occupy my thoughts the vast majority of the time).

So correct me if I'm wrong I guess, but like... Darkiplier and Wilford Warfstache are both metacognitive, right? Like, I know Wilf is aware of the fourth wall and regularly breaks it, I know that's his Thing and it's (part of) why he's so, y'know. Silly-Wacky. Is Darkiplier in the same boat, at least to an extent? (Kinda genuinely asking here. Like I said, filthy casual).

Because like... Darkiplier and Wilf are both staples of Mark's channel as a whole. They both predate the MarkCU/CYOA series stuff, so they're not "native" to it the way, say, Yancy or Engie or Professor Beauregard or Gunther are.

So with that in mind, whenever Darkiplier is addressing the Viewer, I've always kindof assumed that he's talking to... the Viewer. Y'know? Like it's a Monika situation, where unlike the other characters, who are talking to Y/N the in-universe avatar, Dark is instead talking past Y/N, to the person on the other side of the screen, to us. I figured he understands Y/N is just an avatar. I think Wilf probably does too, come to that. I don't think either of them necessarily care if Y/N, the character, whoever you imagine them to be, has any idea what the hell they're talking about at any given time, as long as you do.

By the same token, whenever Darkiplier talks about Mark, I figured he was talking about Markiplier the youtuber.

Especially when he says stuff like "games were always his forte."

Because, I mean. Who's associated with "games"?

A let's player.

Not an actor, usually. At least, they're not who you're going to think of first when you think about "games".

Who do we know for absolute certain has been "spinning yarns" and making up stories and taking us, the Viewer, on adventures?

Markiplier the youtuber. By creating these videos.

So unless I'm missing something major here-- and it's entirely possible that I am!-- I think the idea is "supposed" to be: Darkiplier is aware that Actor is an avatar for Markiplier, the same way that Engie and Heist and Date all are, and the reason he treats them all as the same isn't necessarily because they're all secretly Actor, or because he thinks they're all secretly Actor, but because all of them, including Actor... are Markiplier. And Markiplier is his real nemesis. Always has been. That was like... the point of his original concept as a character, right? That he's Markiplier's evil counterpart?

...Is this anything??

#markiplier #darkiplier #obviously everyone else can continue to interpret things however they want #I'm not trying to invalidate anybody here or disprove anything #I'm literally just trying to make sure I'm not completely crazy #in space with markiplier #a heist with markiplier #who killed markiplier #wkm