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Why am I here?
Astrid, Prologue
Astrid Braid is the main protagonist of the visual novel Pitstop in Purgatory, as well as a side character in Poetry in Purgatory, in which she's known as The Voice.
A young and charismatic actress with amnesia who finds herself lost in Purgatory after dying young, she desperately seeks answers while slowly coming to terms with her new "life".
Appearance[]
Astrid has relatively short, brown hair which is decorated with a small, white flower and a skeletal hairpin which she wore in preparation for her (unspecified) role in Gothic Goth Girls From Planet Gothic-X. Both these accessories and her elegant, black dress were retained in death. She has big, brown eyes and a friendly smile, frequently referred to as cute by other characters. She has freckles in her face and shows a prominent blush when happy.
Personality[]
Astrid is kind, passionate, curious and full of empathy. These qualities lead her to easily make friends, and people gravitate toward her, finding it easy to trust her. Her father mentions in The Painting that these parts of her were always there, even when she was very small.
Astrid can be brash and stubborn, sometimes rushing into things without properly thinking them through. This could sometimes cause friction in her relationship with Volumnius when they were still alive. These characteristics also frequently make her clash with The Guide, whom she seldom trusts at face value.
Astrid is a huge fan of popular culture, especially movies and TV series. These are the main inspirations for her big passion in life, acting.
Before Pitstop in Purgatory[]
Astrid in her teens.
Astrid grew up with her parents somewhere in the countryside, having moved there from the big city when her father got a new job. As a child she showed great interest in acting, inspired by her mother who was a singer, dancer and impressionist.
In The Painting, her father talks a little more of her early days, and her sweet relationship with him and her mother. Astrid was his main inspiration to go back to writing and publish award-winning novels. At age 8, Astrid won an acting contest, which further cemented her love for the profession, and filled both her and her parents with pride.
In her late teens, Astrid moved from home and enrolled in acting school, which she eventually dropped out of for unknown reasons. During this time she also met Volumnius, whom she fell in love and eventually moved in together with. Their relationship was strong in general but suffered occasional frictions brought on by their differing personalities.
While travelling to Astrid's parents following a particularly bad fight, tragedy struck as it dawned on the pair that their car's brakes were malfunctioning. In the ensuing crash, Volumnius died instantly and Astrid was hastily taken to the ER. However, it was too late, and she succumbed to her injuries only moments after arriving.
Pitstop in Purgatory[]
Astrid succumbs to her injuries.
Waking up in Purgatory's waiting hall, Astrid is greeted by The Guide. It is revealed that she has suffered amnesia, rendering her unable to recall most of her life, including how she died. In order to pass on through the tunnel to the other side, she needs to regain her memory and make peace with her death. While reluctant, she decides to trust the mysterious Guide for now. Before disappearing, he tells her that she should find her room, as all newcomers get assigned a place to stay for the duration of their time in Purgatory.
Arriving at the Ouroboros Bar, she meets some of Purgatory's strange shadow denizens, including Smiley, a perpetually happy trickster, and Ezrebeth, an angry and malicious spirit. While trying to find her room, she is aided by the gentle and enticing Rahel. Rahel gifts Astrid a crystal orb which she claims will "connect" them, allowing the pair to find each other again in the uncertain environment of Purgatory. Astrid, having finally found someone helpful, gladly accepts the trinket.
While exploring her room, Astrid realizes that it contains the same objects she treasured while alive. Shortly after having that realization, she has a vision of a shadowy intruder who tells her that she "doesn't belong" in Purgatory. Perplexed, she returns to the Ouroboros bar to get more information. While there, she meets the downtrodden alcoholic Locke and gains his trust while helping him with a personal errand involving him and Smiley, whom he hates. The Guide, meanwhile, tells Astrid that she shouldn't trust the shadow's words, reassuring her that she does belong in Purgatory. Not much wiser, Astrid returns to her room and decides to rest.
The shadow shows herself to Astrid again, forcibly waking her up. Any attempt to convince it to leave proves unsuccessful, and it's only when Astrid throws Rahel's crystal orb at a mirror that the blinding light somehow removes the unwelcome guest. Once again, Astrid finds herself confused and at a loss for answers.
Returning once more to the Ouroboros bar, Astrid is greeted by Smiley who reveals that she's been away for 10 years. Being dead, the humans in Purgatory no more have a biological need to sleep, nor an internal clock to wake them up. As a result, Astrid had been sleeping until the shadow returned. Angered by this, she is nonetheless thankful for the delayed information, while realizing that she has more questions that only The Guide can answer.
Astrid reconnects with the people she met 10 years earlier, including Locke, Rahel and the grumpy Ezrebeth, who plays a key part in helping Astrid reach The Guide, who is currently occupied. Talking to him, he reveals that the shadow is definitely connected to Astrid's reason for being in Purgatory, and urges her to return to her room to face it one more time.
As The Guide promised, the shadow reveals itself to Astrid once more, this time speaking in a more comprehensible, but still fragmented, way. Closer to solving the puzzle, Astrid ponders whether she should continue along on her own or with someone else's help.
Rahel Route[]
Deciding to ask for Rahel's help, Astrid returns to the Ouroboros bar, where she finds Rahel arguing with The Guide. He chastises Astrid for attempting to seek outside help without his approval, stating that she should walk this path of discovery on her own. As a compromise, he offers Astrid and Rahel, whom The Guide feels has greatly overstayed her welcome in Purgatory, a deal: Astrid helps Rahel get out of Purgatory, and in return The Guide will help Astrid find what she seeks. He also reveals that Rahel has a secret: She is married. Ultimately, Astrid agrees to The Guide's offer, although Rahel is ambivalent about it, requesting that she be left alone for now.
Rahel in her study.
Astrid finds unexpected help from Ezrebeth, who reveals that she has a special ability: If given an object that belongs to someone, Ezrebeth can transform it into something that represents that person's inner workings. Astrid deduces that if Ezrebeth is given something of Rahel's, it could help her figure out how to help Rahel make peace with her death, by finding out what's keeping her stuck in Purgatory. To this end, Astrid steals one of Rahel's crystal orbs, which, when given to Ezrebeth, transforms into a disturbing object: A small, pink bear plushie nailed to a cross.
Astrid shows the object to Rahel, who reacts manically. She beckons for Astrid to "burn it off", claiming that the bear should not be on a cross. Astrid obliges, using fire to remove it, which calms Rahel down. She begins recounting her past to Astrid, revealing that she died hundreds of years ago. In life, she had been a wealthy merchant's daughter deeply invested in the occult and taboo, as well as being very self-indulgent. Her father, worried that his daughter would be accused of debauchery and witchcraft, reprimanded her and married her off to another merchant. Shortly after this forced arrangement, Rahel died of tuberculosis, not much older than 20.
Upon arriving in Purgatory, Rahel falsely assumed The Guide to be God. Despite her interest in the occult, she was a devout Christian, and fell to her knees, overjoyed to have reached Heaven. The Guide cruelly belittled her, explaining that Purgatory is not Heaven and that there is no God. As a result, Rahel had a crisis of faith and entered a state of denial, which is revealed to be what's keeping her from making peace with her death. Rahel breaks down crying, claiming that she can't go through the tunnel without knowing for certain what's on the other side. Astrid comforts her, reassuring her that she'll be by Rahel's side through it all, and the pair share a passionate kiss while embracing.
Astrid and Rahel embrace.
Some time later, The Guide appears, stating that it's time for Rahel to leave, but not before giving Astrid her reward for a job well done. In a vision of the past, it is revealed that the shadow is in fact Volumnius, Astrid's boyfriend in life. While this explains who the shadow is, it doesn't explain how Astrid died or why she's unable to leave Purgatory. The Guide slyly remarks that she knows all she needs to know, and that in helping Rahel and connecting with her, Astrid has actually found a certain peace in her soul, allowing her to leave with Rahel. Disappointed, but still somehow relieved, Astrid accepts things as they are and returns to Rahel.
Arriving at the waiting hall, Astrid and Rahel get ready to leave through the tunnel. The Guide appears, wishing them farewell while also ominously telling Astrid that they'll meet again. Astrid and Rahel take each other's hands and start walking toward the light.
Locke Route[]
Deciding to ask for Locke's help, Astrid returns to the Ouroboros bar, where she finds Locke arguing with The Guide. He chastises Astrid for attempting to seek outside help without his approval, stating that she should walk this path of discovery on her own. As a compromise, he offers Astrid and Locke, whom The Guide feels has greatly overstayed his welcome in Purgatory, a deal: Astrid helps Locke get out of Purgatory, and in return The Guide will help Astrid find what she seeks. He also reveals that Locke has a secret: He is a murderer. Ultimately, Astrid agrees to The Guide's offer, although Locke is ambivalent about it, requesting that he be left alone for now, following an argument in which he accuses Astrid of thinking less of him after The Guide's revelation.
Astrid finds Smiley in the waiting hall, learning more from him about his and Locke's on-going feud. According to Smiley, they are locked in a conflict in which they both attempt to slight the other by various means, such as taking each other's items. Astrid reveals that she's hoping to help Locke leave Purgatory, which greatly confuses Smiley, but ultimately motivates him to help out by letting Astrid know that there's a certain object in the bar that Locke might want to see. Returning to the Ouroboros bar, Astrid finds that Ezrebeth has the object, a gun, but she refuses to part with it. The Guide appears, threatening Ezrebeth to put her in a mysterious place known as the box, which scares her into giving Astrid the gun.
Returning to Locke in his room, Astrid shows him the gun and is met with a violent reaction as he interprets this to be an accusation. Astrid tries to assure him that it isn't, but is ultimately forced to leave the room. She realizes that the gun is broken and needs to be restored to its original form, which Astrid is able to do by dropping it in the wishing well, a method she learned about earlier from Ezrebeth. Showing the restored gun to Locke, he finally recognizes it as the gun that killed him.
Locke and his siblings.
Locke recounts the events of his past, revealing the truth about him to Astrid. He grew up in a very poor household during The Great Depression, with his parents, his younger brother Nicky and his older sister Lara. His father was abusive and had descended into alcoholism from the stress of not being able to provide for his family. Nicky eventually fell ill and died from an unknown disease likely brought on by the family's living conditions. The grief further strained the relationship between Locke's parents, and during a particularly intense fight, his mother accidentally killed his father by hitting him in his head with a frying pan. As a result, Locke and Lara were put in separate foster homes, and they never saw their mother again.
The years went by and Locke, determined to make something of himself, studied very hard and graduated from a prestigious university with high honors. Around this time, his sister managed to find him again, and invited him to stay with her and her family. Upon arriving at their home, Locke was horrified to find them living in squalor, not unlike how he and his sister had grown up themselves. In addition, one of Lara's daughters was very sick, causing Locke to instantly think back to Nicky. Determined to help the family out, Locke decided to take on all the hospital bills by means of his new, well-paying job. Walking home from work late at night after just getting his very first paycheck, he was held up by a robber. Noticing the assailant's nervosity, Locke tried to appeal to him, but was shot in the neck all the same. The robber dropped his gun and started running away. With his dying movements, Locke grabbed the gun and tried to shoot his killer, and somehow hit him. This, Locke explains, is how he became a killer at the same time as he was killed.
Astrid and Locke embrace.
Having finished his story, Locke asks Astrid to come with him, as there is something he needs to do. Returning to the waiting hall, the pair find Smiley waiting for them, and it is revealed that Smiley was the man who killed Locke. Smiley explains that he never intended to kill him, but that he was driven to robbing people out of desperation. Locke breaks down and laments the fact that he wasn't able to help his sister, feeling that everything was for nothing. Astrid reassures Locke and tells him that he has to let go, and that to the best of his ability, he has to forgive Smiley. Locke relents, showing forgiveness for the sake of those who believe in him. Smiley, having finally been forgiven, is free to leave Purgatory. Astrid and Locke return to Locke's room where they embrace and share a passionate kiss.
Some time later, The Guide appears, stating that it's time for Locke to leave, but not before giving Astrid her reward for a job well done. In a vision of the past, it is revealed that the shadow is in fact Volumnius, Astrid's boyfriend in life. While this explains who the shadow is, it doesn't explain how Astrid died or why she's unable to leave Purgatory. The Guide slyly remarks that she knows all she needs to know, and that in helping Locke and connecting with him, Astrid has actually found a certain peace in her soul, allowing her to leave with Locke. Disappointed, but still somehow relieved, Astrid accepts things as they are and returns to Locke.
Arriving at the waiting hall, Astrid and Locke get ready to leave through the tunnel. The Guide appears, wishing them farewell while also ominously telling Astrid that they'll meet again. Astrid and Locke take each other's hands and start walking toward the light.
Solo Route[]
Deciding to not selfishly drag others into her own problems, Astrid returns to the Ouroboros bar, where she finds The Guide. He commends Astrid on her drive, and offers her to play a game: She will have to answer a series of riddles posed by the other Purgatory dwellers, each correct answer providing Astrid a piece of the truth. She begrudgingly accepts, though noticeably frustrated that The Guide insists on making her jump through hoops.
As she approaches each of her friends, she is horrified to find out that they are forced to participate against their will. The Guide has put them in the box, a mental prison of sorts, which forces them into a state of stasis. When confronting The Guide about this, it becomes clear that she must push on regardless of the immoral implications. Ironically, her desire to not inconvenience others ends up causing everyone grief, which The Guide finds entertainment in.
Each riddle answered allows Astrid a glimpse into the past of her and Volumnius, her boyfriend in life. Through these scenes, Astrid comes to remember how she met Volumnius, how they fell in love, and how their relationship eventually started to deteriorate as their opposing personalities began to clash. Astrid aggressively pursued acting and had next to no money while Volumnius, a doctor and son of rich parents, worked full-time and paid for everything, causing friction between them. A particularly heated argument took place the night before the couple were to visit Astrid's parents, but was eventually defused, the pair reaching an agreement that they need to listen and better understand each other's views, deciding that they would talk things through more properly after their trip.
Astrid and Volumnius embrace in the void.
While driving the next day, the brakes malfunction, a result of Astrid forgetting to bring the car in for repairs. Overcome with grief, she cries and screams, realizing that they're going to crash at high speed. Volumnius, meanwhile, closes his eyes and tells Astrid that he loves her. Upon impact, Volumnius dies instantly, while Astrid is brought to the ER, dying shortly after from her injuries, leading to the start of the story.
Back in the present, Astrid realizes that it's guilt that's holding her back from leaving Purgatory. Even with her memory returned, she is inconsolable. The Guide, understanding that an additional push is needed, asks Astrid to head into the void, by exiting through her room's windows. Hearing a familiar voice coming from the outside, she decides to follow it.
While in the void, she finds Volumnius, looking just like she remembers him, causing her to break down and cry. Volumnius tells her that he is not the real man she loved, but instead a constructed vision of him containing his memories and mannerisms, allowing Astrid to hopefully get some closure. While weeping uncontrollably, she tells him of her guilt, and how she regrets their fights, wishing only that they could stay together. Volumnius tells her that he has no regrets, and that his last words of "I love you" were his way of showing that even though he had wanted more time with Astrid, he never wished for anything else than being with her. Remarking that he looks and acts just like the real Volumnius, the pair embrace.
Astrid feels Volumnius' presence as she walks toward the light.
Some time later, Astrid takes a final look at her belongings before getting ready to leave Purgatory through the tunnel. The Guide arrives and congratulates her on a job well done. Astrid thanks him for allowing him to meet Volumnius one last time, commenting that maybe there's hope for The Guide after all, to which he scoffs.
While walking toward the light, Astrid feels Volumnius' presence surrounding her, lending assurance that they'll meet again.
The Guide Route[]
In desperation, Astrid decides to ask The Guide for help, resulting in him immediately appearing in front of her. He compliments Astrid on her boldness in coming directly to him, and offers Astrid to be his assistant for the day, in exchange for the answers she seeks. Agreeing to his terms, Astrid is given several items and the mission to manipulate her friends in order to have them reveal "personal feelings of pure distress", which in turn will cause the items to react in some unknown way. Visibly disturbed by this prospect, she considers going back on the deal but has a change of heart when The Guide reassures her that she won't hurt them, instead, she'll even be helping them in a way. Confused, worried and out of options, Astrid begins to carry out her mission.
While talking to the people she's come to know in Purgatory, Astrid manages to get each and every one to talk about their traumatic experiences that directly or indirectly led them to be stuck in the afterlife. Just like The Guide said, the items react appropriately, and when they do, her friends seem to change personalities. Rahel seems free of her inner conflict about God which caused strong denial to manifest, Locke decides to stop drinking on a whim, Ezrebeth is suddenly friendly and Smiley is somehow even happier than usual. Worried, but with her mission completed, she returns to The Guide.
Upon returning, The Guide tells Astrid the truth. Breaking the fourth wall, he reveals that each route taken actually took place in the same timeline, but each time Astrid reaches the tunnel he resets her, and her friends', memories. Sensing Astrid's potential, he decided early on to test her, using four particularly difficult Purgatory visitors as tools in this endeavor, against their knowledge and consent. Impressed by Astrid's resourcefulness, kindness and ability to make others easily trust her, he brings her to another place and tells her that he wants her to join him by his side, as a Purgatory deity.
Astrid and The Guide dancing in the Number 7 café.
Understandably shocked by all this information, Astrid doesn't trust The Guide, believing this to be yet another of his manipulations. He assures her, in a way that she finds to be sincere, that he's telling the truth and that he needs her help. In a bizarre moment, the pair dances together, with Astrid thinking that maybe there is something to like about The Guide after all, behind that disconcerting veil.
The Guide continues, telling Astrid about a being more powerful than him, a being that humans would likely refer to as being God itself. The Guide wants to preserve a balance in the afterlife, and believes that having "God" become too powerful is a threat not only to Purgatory but to humanity as a whole. He explains that when a person leaves Purgatory, having made peace with their death, energy is emitted from the person which is transferred to "God", further fueling its power. By means of the items that Astrid used when talking to her friends, this energy can instead be transmitted to The Guide as the objects drain the people they're associated with. However, for this to work, a person must willingly open up, which can only be done when talking to someone who inspires trust, something The Guide admits that he - unlike Astrid - does not. As a result, The Guide grows more powerful, and lost souls will be able to leave Purgatory faster.
Astrid challenges The Guide, claiming that each person in Purgatory should have the chance to go on their own journey, and that nor she or The Guide has the right to manipulate that out of them. The Guide, predicting that Astrid would react in this way, sweetens the deal: If she joins him, she'll get her memory back. Tempted by the prospect of regaining what she's lost, along with potentially helping lost souls and humanity itself, Astrid begins to possibly relent. In addition, she learns that if she were to decline, The Guide would wipe her mind of everything that's happened, resetting her back to the very first day she arrived in Purgatory. He admits that while he doesn't want to, he'll have to find someone else to help him if she doesn't do so willingly.
"Welcome to Purgatory."
Before thinking things through completely, The Guide warns that "God" is on its way, and while it can't sense The Guide's presence, it can most definitely sense Astrid. Realizing that she has to make a decision right away, she recalls her death at only 20 years old and all the things she never got to do or decide on her own, having been robbed of life so early. With that in mind, she begins to utter a sentence, but the screen turns to black.
In a post-credits scene, Astrid welcomes a new arrival to Purgatory, confirming that she accepted The Guide's offer to become a deity.
DLC: I'll Remember You[]
In the game's DLC, Astrid regains all her memories, including her life and all the loops she went through in Purgatory. Thinking back on her mother's words about the strange and fickle nature of human memory, she concludes that while it's accuracy is hard to trust, the feeling it leaves always stays.
After this reflection she returns to the Ouroboros Bar to speak with The Guide about what they are going to do now that she is a deity, and he warns her that she will become it that night. Astrid asks about her friends and discovers that miraculously The Guide didn't expel them all from Purgatory while she was reflecting in her room, which is especially generous of him. And even though they don't remember the romantic moments they shared with her, they still remember having her as a friend. That, coupled with the fact that Astrid still has some time to wait before becoming a deity, gives her an idea: throw a party!
Despite not liking this idea at all, Guide ends up reveling and offering a small room with a jukebox and some drinks for the party. The guests arrive one by one, happy to see Astrid again while also feeling bittersweet knowing that she is leaving. But despite all that, they agree to make that party something to remember.
During the event, it is possible to chat privately with all guests, as well as eavesdrop dialogues with likely and unlikely combinations of characters. In each conversation, Astrid reflects on the relationships she developed during Purgatory's loops, proud of how her friends overcame their failures and fears and achieved peace with their life - or rather, their afterlife. Secrets and promises are exchanged between her and them, and although it is possible to make different choices in some dialogues, the predominant feeling is the same: Astrid is happy to have helped each of them, and they are eternally grateful for having found her.
After finishing talking to all the characters and moving on, we see a quick dialogue between Remm and Volumnius, where she discusses the possibility that something is going on in Purgatory, and her plan to investigate. Despite not liking it very much, Volumnius ends up agreeing to help with the idea when he discovers that he can find Astrid again in there.
Back in the Waiting Hall, where it all begins and ends, Astrid says goodbye to all her friends with tears and gratitude. In the end, everyone takes a photo to keep that moment.
When everyone leaves, The Guide is left alone with Astrid, and he asks how she is feeling. She complains because he insists on asking when he said that her emotions doesn't matter, and asks if he understands the concept of human sadness. At that moment, he ends up making a bombastic revelation: He was once human.
Astrid fears that she might become emotionless like him and he reassures her that it would be too difficult. She again asks why she had to become a deity and he states that, among other reasons, it is to keep their plan a secret from the mind-reading power of God. Astrid is glad that he answers, and seems pleased with the greater ease with which she is being able to talk to him, though he denies that it's anything more than her impression.
In the end, she asks Guide for one last thing: to see Volumnius again. He, a little impatient with the constant requests, says that it will be the last thing he will grant her, and she thanks him. The DLC ends with the song "I'll remember you" and with the CG of the two looking at each other at the window.
Trivia[]
- Astrid is named after Tymedust's grandmother who, like the character, was also born on May 1st.
- In Astrid's room there is a poster advertising the science fiction series The Z-Files, which is a reference to The X-Files. A similar poster can be found in the main character's room in another Tymedust Games release, Meanwhile in Riva.
- The dialogue interaction with the TV Show Poster in Solo route can be a tribute to the anime Cowboy Bebop.[1]
- Astrid's favorite movie, Edge Sprinter, is a synonym to Blade Runner, which is Tymedust's favorite movie.
- During the whole game, some of her acting roles are mentioned: Unspecified (Gothic Goth Girls From Planet Gothic-X (or simply GGG)) and Woman Victim #7 (Zombies at the Post Office 3).[2]
- Right at the ending of Solo Route, it is discovered that someone made a biography of Astrid based on her performance in GGG. It's called "The Tragedy of What Could Have Been - A Biography of Astrid Braid".
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ See in-game interactions.
- ↑ This is mentioned in a conversation in Epilogue.