#So in the au I made Typhon psychic in that he knew where the things he looked for were

[cruddyborderlandstheories]

Okay I tried really hard to pay attention to all the Typhon logs in-game, but I may have missed a few so: is it ever really explained how/why Typhon was so good at finding Vaults beyond luck

Like he says on Promethea that when he was on Pandora as a kid he used to go searching for Eridian ruins and that's why he's so good at finding them (??) but in some situations, like the Vault on Eden-6, he just gets up, knows where it is, and walks over to it with practically 0 warning and extremely casually. I know we need to have understanding for the writers that not everything can be explained, and I get that there sometimes needs to be stuff that just happens for the plot to exist, but given there are people that spend literal years looking for a Vault and how concealed the Vault on Eden-6 actually was (given he was called in to find it) I'm just curious HOW he just knew it was there. It is borderline supernatural to me with just that log in the manor. Did I miss one?? Can someone please help me 😭

Like, I was kinda okay with the whole 'he found the first Vault' thing, I was sorta alright with the whole 'he somehow managed to get to Nekrotefeyo with Leda's help' premise. But this? This just confuses me, like how did one dude find so many Vaults on his own when they're of legendary status *because* they're so hard to find. I can't imagine Typhon is the only kid on Pandora who looked for Eridian ruins in his spare time so what the heck. He makes it seem like he just wanders around accidentally finding Vaults while other people dedicate their lives to finding these things and the people who look generally only find 1 if they're really lucky (aka the protagonists). And even then this usually isn't on their own... We get help with the location from major villains who usually had help from either a corporation or eridian-related thing and just try to get the key to open it. Which leads me back to the whole 'Typhon finding all these Vaults in rapid succession is borderline supernatural and I'm confused' thing.

Seriously tho, did I miss something pls advise

[no-warrior-here]

     ... I'm trash and can't stop myself, so I'm gonna ramble some thoughts about the possible Prey AU/concept/plot/whatever the heck this is. I'll put it under a cut though, because 1, it's probably gonna get long, and 2, this is going to contain major spoilers about the end of Prey 2017. So, if you don't want spoilers, don't look below the cut!

     I'll start off by stating that this takes place in the ‘real world,’ rather than the simulation, so there's tons of world building to do there. Most likely something like the simulation happened once(it was stated to be based on Morgan Yu’s memories, after all), but probably not exactly like that. Or, that's what I'm assuming, anyways. I'm also undecided on if I want this to be an AU for Gregor or Denny, since either one could be really interesting; I have more muse for Gregor tho so I'll stick to him for now. Maybe I'll change my mind later, who knows.

     - Long story short, in this AU, the real Gregor died, probably a long while ago. This AU instead focuses on an experimental typhon hybrid created sometime after the success of the first one. However, this time a full set of false memories have been given to the experiment to give ‘it’ more humanity. In an effort to create a typhon which could learn to be even more human through immersion, they used the memories of a child... I think you see where we’re going here.

     - This typhon hybrid was put through extensive empathy testing all the same, which was highly successful. However, much to the researchers’ astonishment, the specimen was even more human-like than they anticipated... Not only was the hybrid completely unaware that it was not Gregor Reid, it rapidly demonstrated the ability to vocalize and understand speech, experience emotion, and recognize human expressions. Much to their dismay, it also displayed a remarkable and mildly frustrating talent for sarcasm.

     - However, the hybrid exhibited a great deal of distress upon discovering the truth... While not violent, it became vocally hostile and irritable, insisting it was ‘not a monster’ and that it ‘just wanted to go home.’ The typhon also demonstrated the ability to change its appearance similar to a mimic, adopting the same features as the person it believed itself to be.

     - Upon finally accepting that this is the reality, this typhon soon became suspicious and paranoid, unsure that anything it knew was in fact real. ‘If you can just give me whatever memories you want, simulate my experiences in a lab, how do I know you didn't change anything? How do I know what's true, when I can't even trust my own memory? Maybe the typhon aren't as bad as they seemed. How would I know, when I've never even seen one myself?’ Reluctantly the researchers introduced their experiment to an actual mimic, which changed his tune quite abruptly. ‘... Okay. I guess they really are pretty bad. Fine. What do you need me to do?’

     - The experiment underwent many tests to determine its mental capacity, morality, and physical capabilities. Although small and wiry by comparison, the typhon seemed to have most abilities of an etheric phantom, along with the possibility of learning more typhon powers over time. For example, after witnessing a voltaic phantom utilizing electricity, the young hybrid was able to reproduce that talent with moderate success.

     - Furthermore, the hybrid, now dubbed ‘Project Gamma,’ demonstrated the intellect and overall demeanor of a child-- more specifically, the very child his memories were copied from. Gamma was not only fully sentient, but highly emotional, with a great deal of compassion, curiosity, and a keen sense of self-awareness. However, his desire for self-preservation-- the only trait typhon typically do share with humans-- seemed to be either greatly inhibited, or entirely absent. He exhibited very little care for his own well-being, and seemed almost eager to throw himself into situations he believed would lead to his demise. When questioned about this, he merely said, “I have nothing. I’ll never be human, will I? I have no family, no friends, no real identity, even. What am I living for to begin with? To be your science project? A pet? An attack dog? A weapon? That’s not what I will ever want to live for.”

     - Finally, one last test was put in place... Having determined that Gamma was harmless to humans, the researchers decided it was time to give their experiment something worth fighting for. It was a great risk, but what other option was there? The hybrid had no will to fight, no will to live. Perhaps if he saw what he was protecting, things would be different. Instructing their creation to maintain his human guise at all times... Gamma was given the chance to live among the human refugees, his true identity kept secret from all but the highest security officers.

     - In terms of abilities, Gamma is pretty well-rounded; physical mimicry/camouflage and shapeshifting are what come most naturally to him, though he quickly picks up many other typhon abilities as well. He frequently learns from example, but some powers give him a great deal of difficulty. Telepathy is his weakest skill, though he doesn't really want that power anyway. After learning it, he only uses this power enough to locate and identify nearby life forms, feeling it would be invasive to do anything more than that.

     - Gamma can ‘communicate’ with other typhon, though this is quite limited and he doesn't really like it. They don't necessarily ‘speak,’ but he can pick up vague impressions of what they're thinking. Mostly this is limited to flashes of emotion and very brief thoughts he can translate into words, since the typhon have no true language of their own. However, most typhon don't like him much either, recognizing there is something ‘wrong’ about him. Weaker typhon may obey if he orders them to do something, but stronger ones such as Weavers or Telepaths will try to order him around instead.

     - Due to his mimicry ability, Gamma appears human most frequently, assuming the guise of Gregor Reid. He generally goes by the same name as well, seeing them as one and the same. Gamma can still use his various psychic typhon skills in this form, though some may not be as effective, and shapeshifting in any way will reveal his true form. As such, Gamma will not use his powers at all around humans, terrified of what would happen if they figured out what he is.

     - As a typhon, Gamma looks very similar to a Phantom, but smaller and more humanoid. His body type is in fact very similar in overall shape to Gregor's, albeit made of twisted dark tendrils, with glowing white blotches for a mouth and eyes. In truth, he was engineered in a lab from the beginning, originating from Mimic and Phantom material to create a synthetic typhon with a very human-like physiology. Also note that technically, his glowing ‘mouth’ is an eye itself; Gamma simply reshapes it (unconsciously) as a method of conveying facial expressions.

     - Gamma does not require most human necessities of life, such as air or water. He can survive completely unharmed even in a complete vacuum, and resists many forms of physical damage. He can also regenerate limbs or heal injuries by consuming any form of biological matter. To replenish his psychic abilities and maintain the human guise, Gamma does require quite a bit of fuel. When living among humans he will usually just go with regular food, since it does the job well enough and helps him ‘fit in.’ It's also noteworthy that poisons and contaminants which would harm or even kill a human typically won't affect him at all. As long as it is organic matter, he can metabolize it without incident.

     - Eventually, Gamma can learn some powers of a technopath, with severe limitations. He cannot control computers from a distance with his mind, but through directly ‘connecting’ himself to a computer or device via tendrils, Gamma can hack into and control most machines. It’s not instantaneous though, and once he is out of physical contact, his influence is cut off.

     - Gregor’s family is in fact still alive, just on a different ship. If they were to meet Gamma, his cover would be blown for good; they know for a fact that their son is dead, so who would that make this? However, he does plan to return to them one day, and insist that he narrowly survived, hiding the truth. To Gamma, he really is Gregor. The concept of leaving his family behind forever is unthinkable.

     - Gamma is still pretty much the same as Gregor was, personality-wise. However, he tends to be a bit more anxious and worrisome, constantly fretting over whether people will see through his disguise, and whether he can even trust himself. He is terrified that one day, the original typhon will overwrite and overwhelm him, and he’ll become a homicidal monster like the rest. These fears are strengthened by persistent nightmares in which he hears the others of his kind calling, urging him to kill.

     - Despite those constant instincts, Gamma would never harm a human. In most cases he would not even defend himself, seeing their lives as worth more than his own. The only exception would be when more lives are at stake; Gamma will do all in his power to protect others, even if it means having to restrain or knock out another human to do it. He’s not squeamish at all about taking out other typhon, though.

     - Since typhon are so drastically different from humans in terms of biological function and physiology, Gamma experiences certain feelings very differently from how he recalls in his human memories. He doesn't have a sense of taste in quite the same way; nothing tastes ‘bad’ to him except for inorganic matter, and he typically doesn't experience hunger, either. Instead, Gamma will start displaying signs of fatigue, lack of focus, and occasionally aggression. However, he entirely lacks a sense of smell, particularly since typhon have no need to breathe. Gamma’s senses of touch and hearing are slightly heightened, though not by much. Eyesight is the only sense which seems to be wholly unchanged.