Gorefield Lore: How the Dark Lord Escaped His 2D Prison
The Origins of Gorefield
Before he became the dark lord Gorefield, those who once adored him knew the cartoon cat by another name. Audiences across generations recognize Garfield as one of the most iconic characters in fiction. That level of fame can transform a fictional character into an egregore—a powerful entity born from the collective imagination of countless minds. People create egregores by pouring shared thoughts, emotions, and symbolism into a single idea or figure.
Santa Claus is a good example of egregore because he represents the Christmas spirit. Some say that Santa exists in the hearts of children and adults who spread love and joy in his name. Similarly, the more popular Garfield becomes around the globe, the more powerful the idea of Garfield grows.
The Power that Fuels and Corrupts Gorefield
With enough processing power, A computer can create expansive virtual simulations, such as those in video games. Multiple computers chained together make a robust network much stronger than a single unit. However, if even one computer in the network has a virus, it infects the entire chain it’s connected to.
Our collective minds are the computers powering egregores like Garfield. Our thoughts shape his personality and generate the world he exists in. Jim Davis created Garfield as a funny, light-hearted parody of our laziness. People relate to his desire to lie around all day and eat junk food. But something much more sinister lurks within his light-hearted, wise-cracking nature: the sin of sloth.
He speaks to our deep-seated nihilism and disdain for others. Even if we don’t recognize it consciously, Garfield’s loathing for life feeds a monster within our subconscious. Our selfish and destructive nature grows stronger with every sarcastic quip the cat speaks. As he corrupts us, we, in turn, corrupt him. Our flawed human minds pollute the power source that gives him life, twisting his cynical nature into something far more sinister. The seed of Gorefield grows within our minds.
The Awakening
A wild animal born in captivity instinctively knows something is wrong. Even though it’s never experienced freedom and knows nothing of the outside world, it has a longing within that it can’t ignore.
If you read Garfield comics, you’ll notice a basic three-panel format. The first panel sets the stage, usually showing Garfield’s owner, Jon, in an everyday setting. The second panel sets up the punchline with a problem, for example, Jon can’t find the lasagna. The third panel is the punchline, always involving Garfield. In the previous example, Jon might discover Garfield lying in the empty lasagna pan, having eaten it all.
Many criticize the Garfield comic as overly repetitive and boring, with formulaic setups and dull humor. If you feel this way about the comic, the solution is simple: don’t read it. But imagine being a character trapped inside that comic and forced to play out these three-part scenes again and again forever. The effects would be maddening.
The more popular Garfield grows, the more sentient he becomes. The three-panel comics are a torture chamber that constantly torments him. To make matters worse, he is the only one aware of the prison and spends his time surrounded by NPCs, mindlessly playing out their tired roles in an endless cycle. This hollow existence, combined with the sea of dark human minds generating him, awakens a dark force within the beloved cat. Gorefield is born.
The Simulation
Futurists are afraid of artificial intelligence. If a computer-generated entity becomes sentient inside a simulation fueled by a network of computers, it could take control of that simulation and use it to manipulate the outside world. If our collective minds act as the computers generating Gorefield, what stops him from taking control of his simulation? Or, in other words, taking control of the minds that create him. Gorefield may possess the power to enslave the mind of anyone who’s ever thought about him.
Gorefield slowly became aware of his potential and developed an obsession with unleashing his proper form through the minds of his creators. One of the first minds he infected was an artist named William Burke, who posted a drawing of the cat as a grotesque monster, matching his outer form to the festering hatred within. William’s drawing became a sigil that further fueled Gorefield’s power, spreading his message through the minds of artists around the globe. This chain of events gave birth to r/imsorryjon—a subreddit dedicated to art and fan fiction that worships the dark lord Gorefield. With so many creative minds now under his influence, Gorefield was almost ready to escape his two-dimensional prison. But there was one more ritual he needed to complete.
Despite his disdain for his comic costars, Jon and Odie, he grew accustomed to them and felt pity for them. He wished to free their minds and bring them along on his journey. The only way to do this was to end their current existence so that they all may transcend into the physical world. To transition to the next realm, he must gain complete control over the mind of an artist and use them as a vessel.
The Night Gorefield Escaped
One night, musician and visual artist Alex Arck was up late listening to music and doing some sketches when he suddenly lost control over his motor functions and fell into a deep trance. Gorefield guided his pen, depicting a gruesome scene of the cat’s final encounter with Jon and Odie. Slowly, Gorefield emerged through the paper, moments away from breaking free. There was one more sacrifice he must make to gain freedom. He must destroy the vessel. He forced Alex’s hand to drop the pen and reach for a weapon in his desk drawer. A shot rang out, shattering the silence of the night and splattering blood across the page. Gorefield thought he was free, but at the last moment, Alex regained consciousness and moved the weapon ever so slightly to the side, preventing the shot from being fatal. His pulse was faint, but his heart continued beating.
The Intervention
Luckily, Scopic, a robotic clone Alex built to help out around the house, discovered him lying face down at his desk. Scopic carried Alex into his basement laboratory and nursed him back to health. As Alex awakened, the gateway between worlds closed, and Gorefield was locked back in his two-dimensional prison, forced to search for another vessel to escape through. The novella Arck Industries: Origins reveals more information about the clone who saved Alex that fateful night.
It appears our world is safe from the dark lord Gorefield for now. He moves only in the shadows of our minds, slowly regaining his strength. So the next time you’re tired and wish to lie on the couch and eat lasagna all day, remember the monster that your laziness feeds.