ALTERNATE LOG 51: SUBJECT A5105MW - Daniel M. Cicierega

Subject A5105MW is a musician by the name of Daniel M. Cicierega. He appears to be an effective mirror of the prime reality's Neil Cicierega, albeit with many alterations. For one, although his musical catalog (consisting of his Wonder mashup albums and Orangel original works) appears to directly parallel Neil's, it is tonally much darker in comparison. Secondly,  while Daniel appears to have become an Offkey in a similar manner to his counterpart, this seems to be a consequence of an 0-2 performance against Quad City Barkley and Ke$ha, rather than a result of dropping from the Quatrafinals to LR2. As a matter of fact, analyzing this universe’s bracket reveals that each of the prime reality’s Offkeys (Ray William Johnson, Daniel M. Cicierega, Scott the Woz, and Filthy Frank) also appear in this reality, all spurred by an 0-2 in their respective corners.

On a less Daniel-specific note, the removal of Oasis from his Wonder source, alongside a still present Lord Farquadd, most likely implies Wonderwall as the opening number in this timeline's version of Dreamworks' Shrek. Considering the textual and tonal differences between this and All Star, the resulting effect on the Shrek film(s) as a whole is one of many distinct queries Daniel's timeline raises.

Let it be said frankly - within our current understanding of how alternates and their timelines function, Daniel's timeline should not be stable. With the amount of implied complex alteration of not only tournament rosters or characters, but internet/pop culture and even reality itself, his timeline would typically be assumed to implode from the outset. The very fact it has yet to show so much as signs of strain is cause for much intrigue, if not outright concern. The importance of maintaining a close eye cannot be understated - if not as a precaution, then as a means to investigate what makes this seeming outlier tick.

ADDENDUM: In accordance with the concerns outlined above, it was quickly agreed upon that conducting an interview with Subject A5105MW would be of great importance. The newfound feasibility of this prospect is in no small part due to Mr. O’Hara’s technology, as well as the ingenuity of our team members who worked to restore its capabilities. Aside from more typical concerns around timeline stability, the aim of this interview was to gain insight on Daniel’s timeline with minimal interference, as well as calm his nerves post-arrival. For the sake of logging, Daniel M. Cicierega will be referred to hereafter as A51.

The following is a transcript of an interview between Researcher ████ of TOI and A5105MW.

████: Aaaaaaand we’re rolling. State your name for the record?

A51: Daniel M. Cicierega.

████: Any chance you could elaborate on the M?

A51: No, sorry. Alternate reality or not, I have a game to uphold.

████: Of course you do. I’m guessing you’re aware of the circumstances that brought you here?

A51: Well, yeah. Being roped in by some interdimensional group insisting you “shouldn’t exist” kind of sticks with you, I’d imagine.

████: … Right. Without context, that’s not great to hear, is it? Sorry about that, I should probably clarify what’s going on here. First and foremost, I guess, that we’re trying to keep the alternates - folks like you - safe, and not, like. Putting them down behind the multiversal shed.

A51: Oh, good. Passing the moral bar laying on the floor, at least. Y’know, as long as “safe” actually means something beyond “locked up in space jail, because…?”

████: Of course - the trouble with alternates is that they have a habit of destabilizing the timelines they’re in. As such, there’s always a risk that any given timeline might collapse under the resulting strain. The sooner we understand the cause of all this, the sooner we can begin to find a remedy for it.

A51: … And you’re saying I’m responsible for that. Just by existing, same as I always have? Reality’s going to implode, now that I’ve shown up?

████: Well - that’s part of why we wanted to speak with you in particular. Because, as far as our measures are showing, it should be. But it’s not.

A51: It’s not?

████: By all accounts, not even showing preliminary signs.

A51: So why am I here? All this time, people have been freaking out like - I dunno, like Jesus Christ went missing or something. What am I pushing out of place that’s so important, it should apparently be destroying an entire timeline?

████: … Does the name Neil mean anything to you?

A51: What, Armstrong? Young?

████: No, uh. Cicierega, actually.

A51: You’re shitting me.

████: I’m not.

A51: A first name, that’s it?

████: That is… so far from all it is. See for yourself.

[Researcher ████ places a folder on the interview table, which A51 begins investigating the contents of. Said contents include various excerpts of Neil Cicierega’s work and tournament appearances in the prime reality - prints of Mouth and Lemon Demon album tracklists, Mashup Week renders, and miscellaneous photographs of Neil.]

████: Aside from the more obvious differences, there are others. Final placement in your respective tournaments, the opening soundtrack to Shrek, the way Neil’s original work is less grimdark - no offense.

A51: If I took any offense by now, I’d have abandoned the craft outright. Tch, but - I mean, this is still small, right? One guy being a bit different from another, that sounds like something that’d be par for the course. Can I assume that?

████: Usually, yes. Entire character replacements are a standard occurrence, even.

A51: Right. So, again - why are people freaking the fuck out over my case specifically? Is the timeline not being obliterated immediately somehow worse?

████: Not exactly worse, but it is strange. The one thing you have to understand about your counterpart is that, well. Neil Cicierega is load-bearing. His body of work is the basis for several other tournament characters down the line. If this ripple effect also holds true for you, then that means…

A51: … more alternates, right?

████: Right. To give you a sort of sense of scale - and, I guess, to sort of segue into a running theory? You should take a look at this.

[Researcher ████ places a printed picture of Dark Neil’s render from the prime reality’s Tournament Takeout on the table.]

████: This is Dark Neil, originally formed from Neil Cicierega after he absorbed the Essence of Competition, hoping to make up for his Mashup Week loss. Canonically, he exists as an amalgamation of every representation of Neil Cicierega’s work in tournament culture. At inception, his creations were already pervasive enough for this prospect to be viable, and it’s only gotten more prevalent since.

A51: That’s one way to compensate, I guess. And the theory?

████: The theory actually involves Dark Neil. Or, rather, what he eventually goes on to become.

[Researcher ████ turns over the picture, revealing a picture of “Danny” on the opposite side.]

████: Dark Neil, over time, went through a period of self-actualization. Taking an original form, he eventually took on the name of… Danny. You can assume where the theory comes in.

A51: So, you think I exist as some sort of cosmic switcheroo? A human mirror to this… shadow dinosaur?

████: Right now, it’s the best lead we have. Occam’s Razor.

A51: I'd think the simplest answer is "nothing’s going on, you're just paranoid over Spot The Difference", but… ugh. So what happens now?

████: As it stands? The current protocol is to watch and wait until a breaking point starts to show itself. With all the circumstances in play, any sweeping calls to action or inaction are just too risky.

A51: So we get a bunch of uninvited babysitters. Got it.

████: Listen, I know this isn’t the news you want to hear. It’s not the news anyone wants to hear. But it could be much worse.

A51: Could be better.

████: …

[END TRANSCRIPT.]