#then train revived my interest

[milkbreadtoast]

>new years crk update instead of continuation of train story

ITS OK.... IM FINE..... ITS FINE 💔

[sea-jello]

Day 23/October 23: Crawl || Burn || "I am not touching that."

say it with me guys it is still the 23rd somewhere

uhh something something what if morro met lloyd as a kid when he was still training with wu idk how to draw children

bonus

don’t worry about the hands it’s 5am

[1tsjusty0u]

DO I HAVE TO CHANGE THE SHRINE OF RESURRECTION FOR THIS AU??

[knightinink]

I’m replaying batim again & just got through chapter 3. While walking through Heavenly Toys, there was a particular toy that caught my interest:

A little wooden train.

It meant nothing then, but now, post batdr, that toy is so important to me.

& it’s so important to a certain little imp too.

[cursed-peanut]

Before Sukuna was defeated, he hid your identity from history as well as he could. He wanted to make sure his beloved lover was never found by the sorcerers. However, after his death, no one was there to stop you from being found and sealed.

They would have killed you, but the love poetry and letters Sukuna had written to you was proof that you were his only weak point, so you were sealed in the fear that Sukuna could possibly return centuries later and you could be used to calm him as a back up.

Centuries later and the ancient sorcerers were right. The fearful King of Curses was revived and the higher ups of the Jujutsu world wanted Itadori Yuji executed for being his vessel.

However, Gojo Satoru had other plans.

Your prison realm was stored away deep within Jujutsu High, and he knew exactly where you were and how to unseal you.

“Where…am I? Who- who are you?”

“You are currently at Jujutsu High, a school that trains young sorcerers for the world ahead of them. And I am Gojo Satoru, a teacher here at Jujutsu High and the strongest sorcerer of the modern age. But don’t worry, I didn’t unseal you to hurt you.”

“What did you unseal me for then?” You have no clue what he’s talking about. You’ve been stuck in a cube for what felt like — and was — many many centuries. And this strange man with white hair and a blindfold is telling you about things you barely understand. Your head is spinning.

“I wanted to reunite you with someone.” The man turns around, waiting for you to follow. “Are you coming?”

“How do I know you won’t kill me?” You say shakily, tears pricking the corner of your eyes. You’re so unbelievably scared.

“I won’t. I just want to bring you to someone you know. Someone you love. Sound good?” He finally turns to face you again. Even though he’s blindfolded, it’s like he can see you shaking on the floor.

You wearily bring yourself to your feet and purse your lips. “…okay.”

————————————

Gojo: Hey, Yuji. I’m with someone

I’d like you to meet. Meet me at

the training field in 20 mins.

Yuji: Okay! See you soon Sensei.

————————————

The walk to the training field felt long but also fascinating. Everything around you was so new! How long had you been in that cube? You’re pulled from your wonder when you see someone sitting on a step by the field. His fluffy pink hair reminds you so much of Sukuna it makes your heart break. You miss him so much. Perhaps Gojo has taken you to meet his descendant?

“Ah, Sensei! Who did you want me to meet?”

“Hello Yuji! I wanted to introduce you to someone very important. Say hello to L/N Y/N!”

“Oh, hello Mx. L/N! I’m Itadori Yuji.” He gives you a bright smile and a firm handshake.

“Hello…” There’s a beat of silence before Itadori turns to his teacher.

“So, why’d you want me to meet this person?-“

“How is Sukuna right now?” You perk up at this. Did he just say Sukuna? Was this kid Sukuna? No, definitely not. Then what…

“Huh? Well, he’s completely slient for once. It’s actually quite refreshing to not have his constant nagging- why’d you ask?” Suddenly an eye and a mouth apear under Itadori’s left eye.

“Y/N…”

“Huh- hey!” Itadori slaps his cheek to stop Sukuna from freaking you out.

“It’s okay, Yuji. Let it happen.”

“But-“

“Sukuna?” Itadori’s confusion intensifies when he sees you tearing up. Not out of sadness, but rather happiness and confusion. Just who are you?

————————————

Please don’t copy or take as your own. Likes and reblogs are appreciated!

Like what you read? Here are all my other works and consider following me! If you’re interested in this AU, here is the masterlist for all works in this AU so far. If you would like to request something, please check my rules first before doing so.

[umemiyan]

𝙋𝙊𝙎𝙏𝙈𝙊𝙍𝙏𝙀𝙈 / 𝙋𝙊𝙎𝙏𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙏𝙐𝙈. — 𝖯𝖠𝖱𝖳 𝖨

𝘕𝘌𝘟𝘛 𝘊𝘏𝘈𝘗𝘛𝘌𝘙 ･ 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧 ･ 𝘛𝘈𝘎𝘓𝘐𝘚𝘛

𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗨 𝗚𝗢𝗝𝗢 𝗫 𝗚𝗡!𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥. ⌇ sfw, but minors dni (potential for nsfw continuations) / jjk manga spoilers / this is my version of "came back wrong" gojo inspired by recent events, but it turned out somewhat softer than i expected / what happens when satoru is brought back and suddenly finds himself deeply attached to you of all people?

yandere!gojo / he's also slightly higher-needs disabled coded… idk i tried to approach it as best as i could. it's an unfamiliar thing for reader and they're trying to process it / i very well may try to continue this because it is rotting my brain!! / 1.7k words

“Satoru… you need to eat.”

A full bowl of soup sits on the table before him untouched, his hands resting unoccupied in his lap and eyes trained on your figure as you circle around to stand near him. That piercing blue gaze is ridden with innocence, lips parted like those of a quizzical child, but they turn upwards into a pleased grin when you take a seat in the chair next to him.

You’d prepared a rather simple dish, something you figured might be easy for him to consume and digest given his… peculiar state, but Satoru apparently had yet to pay any interest to it. He instead sat obediently in his chair just as you had commanded several minutes ago, unable to initiate the task of feeding himself, for he was much more intrigued from afar by your every move as you tidied the kitchen. It was as though he couldn’t find the drive to function unless you were within an overwhelmingly short distance of him.

Satoru’s heart thumps now that you’re close, a burst of satisfaction rushing through his brain. Dopey yet stimulating chemicals. You are Pavlov’s ringing bell. 

He is reminiscent of a child picked up from school by their beloved parent, or a puppy being reunited with its owner after a day at the vet, overcome with joy and unable to properly contain it. He leans forward and presses his lips to your neck as though that is the appropriate response to his elation, the crossed wires in his brain telling him that this is the sort of affection that will please you and is therefore the sort of affection he most desperately wants to give.

His condition was difficult to understand, and you wouldn’t call yourself properly equipped to deal with it, but there was simply no other option but to try; Gojo wouldn’t let anyone else try, the horrible rattling in his skull consuming him when deprived of your presence for too long. Yuuta had described the look in his eyes as “frenzied and lost.” You were told that the infirmary still needed repairs.

Once he returned to this world, Satoru had been stripped down to his essence, bare bones, a creature of instinct, reduced to something quite simple yet difficult for the average person to understand. But you had to understand, or try at the very least. This was the new burden placed upon your shoulders; it was either soothe this new version of Satoru Gojo for the sake of the world, or find a way to send him back into the icy arms of death. You were often caught between which option sounded worse.

However, when met with the sweetest and most earnest of his smiles, your bones were frosted with guilt, and you regretted ever entertaining the idea of letting him go again.

You stumble over getting him to perform necessary tasks and be further than 5 feet away from you at any given time, because it seems that, upon his revival, Satoru equates you and only you with everything of importance in his life. It’s more than a little unnerving given the fact that you’d never so much as even kissed prior to the loss of him, and now his neurons only fire off every happy memory he’s ever had of you, every positive thing he’s ever felt, no matter how stifled. You are his entire world now, and he can’t even verbalize it, but as each day passes following his awakening, you’re starting to gather that much on your own. You can’t be frustrated for long, however, because his cheerfulness is contagious, his enthusiasm making you feel loved even if it is somewhat smothering.

Is this selfish of you? 

The man's lips travel slowly across your skin, pacified by your presence, your taste, and ignoring the grumble in his stomach. How does one differentiate the types of hunger? You don’t attempt to fight him off, but rather exhale a defeated sigh in response. It hasn’t been long since you’ve been tasked with this responsibility, but it feels as though you’re frequently fighting a losing battle and failing him all the same. It’s so peculiar, so very unnatural… but still, you have to try.

“Satoru, please…” you beg, voice light in his ear and a hand settling at his nape. His nerve endings come alive every time his name leaves your lips. The bell. “Just one bite? For me?”

That seems to do the trick, as you’ve gathered. Satoru pulls himself back, hyper-aware of the tone in your voice and suddenly willing to comply. He’s more than eager to accept the spoon into his mouth when you offer it, placing your fingers beneath his chin and carefully bringing the soup up to his lips. He swallows it with ease, the task literally more palatable now that you’ve reminded him of how badly you would like him to complete it. Anything for you.

“There,” you say, satisfied and offering a faint, exhausted smile. He grins widely in response and hums, no longer capable of words of his own, but his simple noise expresses his glee with efficacy. Satoru decides to punctuate it by pressing the tip of his nose to yours for good measure.

It feels wrong to enjoy these subtle moments of intimacy with someone who doesn’t appear to be in his right mind, but who are you to say whether he is or not? There’s still an agency he possesses, a heart full of emotions, and a mind teeming with thoughts that you wish you could be privy to. He might be different now, but part of you wants to say with certainty that the old Satoru is still here with you somehow—you can sense it. He chuckles at particular images that flash across the TV and still gets a kick out of teasing you to some degree. To diminish that seems like a disservice to him.

You’re unable to deprive him of the happiness your closeness provides nonetheless; in fact, it’s obviously rather dangerous for you to even try and do so. Satoru’s conscious recollections are filled primarily with you, but his body is still more or less the same as it always was—the vessel of his clan’s power, the strongest sorcerer on earth. You’re not sure to what extent he remembers how to control these abilities, but part of you doesn’t wish to find out. For now, you care for him, placate him, re-learn him. Nothing is certain about the situation other than the fact that he apparently needs you now more than ever.

Your eyes soften at the warmth he exudes, and you wonder if he really remembers who you even are—or were—to him. It’s not worth pondering over for now, however. He needs to eat.

“Another?” you ask, testing to see how willing he is to fulfill your wishes. Satoru often easily complies once you’ve expressed satisfaction in him doing so, but all of this is still so new and experimental; you never know when he might decide to switch gears.

However, still smiling, he nods, and you bring another spoonful of soup up to his lips for him to swallow. It pleases you to see him finally getting something into his stomach, and he can sense it, taking it upon himself to further your agenda and simultaneously realizing just how gratifying it is to fill his belly.

“Good,” you say, and he feels rewarded. He is crowned by your praise. Exalted. You take him to the greatest heights with the simplest of words.

You place the spoon back in the bowl and Satoru takes it in his grasp, feeding himself without quarrel while you observe. Most of his motor skills appear to be intact as far as you’ve seen despite the cognitive and behavioral changes, and if someone were to look upon him from afar, you’re fairly certain they would never know the difference. But you’re still trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together little by little, deciphering each bit of information and also determining just how deep his severe attachment to you really goes.

Why did it end up being you? Why do you suddenly seem to be the only thing that makes sense to him in this entire universe?

You can’t answer that, he can’t answer that, it’s just the way it is. Satoru doesn’t need to know why you nearly consume his every thought, he just knows that you make him happy, and that’s truly all that counts in his version of the world. He’ll chase it on instinct until death decides to take him again; he’ll tear down anything that stands in his or your way, for you alone are all that he thinks he has left to cling to. Never matter the others that show concern for him—they’re nice enough, earning a small smile or even the privilege to touch before he shakes them off and seeks you out again. It’s nothing personal. It’s simply pathological.

Leaning an elbow on the table, you turn the possibilities over in your mind as you silently watch him eat. A life has been restored, but yours has been turned upside down, and you have to figure out just exactly what you’re going to do about it. You suppose that taking baby steps ought to be the best way to make progress, but how do you make space for someone like this out of the blue? You’ll have to give it your best shot.

Satoru finishes drinking down the remaining broth of his soup, and you pose a question. “Would you like to go for a walk with me today?”

He sits the bowl down and looks over at you, eyes assessing your features and mind processing what you’ve asked. He hasn’t been out much in the days following his return, but you don’t see any reason to keep him cooped up inside if he happens to respond well to a casual outing with you. Taking him for a stroll outside seems like a decent way to test the waters.

Satoru smiles and nods, recalling memories of how your hair looked when touched by the wind. He’d be glad to accompany you outside if it meant he could see you glow in the sun, radiant and warm. The center of his universe.

“I think it’ll be nice,” you remark with a grin, an ounce or two of weight being lifted from your shoulders at the positive shift in outlook. Baby steps.

Reaching out to take your hand, Satoru squeezes it in his own to convey his agreement. It’s as if he’s trying to say, “everything is nice when I’m with you.”

[ganondoodle]

totk rewrite- botw2 edition

been thinking about the other totk rewrite again (the one only based on botw in which the sonau stay a mystery while being expanded upon)

i talked about it before but heres a lil breakdown (im reusing alot of mechanics from the villain rauru rewrite bc they work too well to be discarded for this one)-

(edit, about five hours later .. its not a little breakdown, its a pretty complete summarized breakdown of the entire new rewrite that i didnt intend to spend the last hours of my sunday on but here we are .. long post, but with pics bc theres lots of concepts im reusing or reviving)

okay START:

zelda and link explore the caverns below hyrule castle bc the shiekah tech has been losing power and their research as to why lead them here

they discover ganondorf and through zeldas curiosity break the, already weak, seal on him (no enigma stone here, the seal was done by an ancient queen of hyrule)- he wakes up attacks them, breaks the mastersword and miasmas/malices links arm off (also idea is that you have to fight him but meant to lose horribly lol) and then have to play an escape sequence (or watch a cutscene of it) in which zelda drags link after herself running from gan

(remember this old first idea drawing i made when i started to think about a rewrite? yeah im reviving that, except theres no totk sonau in this anywhere)

they get out and immediately afterwards a heavy earthquake runs through the land, completely, and actually, changing the map (also using the idea of devastating the regions climates- gerudo desert is flooded, death mountain collapsed inwards, the zoras realm is dried up, rito village has completely frozen over - ACTUALLY frozen over, everything encased in thick ice, the temperature has a special new low point, the winds too strong to glide anywhere-, mountains and rivers shifted, caves are revealed- oh and most of the main villages have tried to flee somewhere saver so theres no literal 1 to 1 repeat of points of interest from botw; also no uh .. miasmas holes that are literally jsut like drilled out bc what?? i want the access to the underground be few and hidden to make it more special to discover)

links arm gets amputated and replaced with a shiekah tech one (maybe using the botw shiekah stone/slate since they still dont know how to make them and its the best self sufficient piece of tech left that doesnt rely on the breaking fuel structure) (reusing this concept from the villain rauru one, with the difference beign that theres no corruption of link -or maybe it does have an effect to have shiekah tech literally hooked up to yourself *thinking emoji*- the abilities remainign the same)

when link wakes up some time has passed (so its more logical that the other regions have tried to cope with everything happening) you get a tutorial by purah and other shiekah (bc with zelda in charge theres more shiekah doing tech stuff again! cool!) and now have a magic meter (functions like in the previous pic, recharges over time depending on environment! bc i find that idea so cool for interstign puzzles and storytelling- like i said in an older post, a place where lots of people died might be richer in spirit energy recharging your magic faster- others have been hollowed out of luminous stone which slows down the recharge) and you are left to decide where to go

both zelda and you have a shiekah stone/slate replica but its incomplete since as mentioned the knowledge on how to make it is still lost so it only has the basic functions, such as the map, journal, camera and teleport

zelda is your companion from the start, in the years since botw she trained in basic self defense and can use her sealing powers as a shield to protect herself (though reluctantly since she doesnt want to rely on them) so you dont need to babysit her- you can tell her to be aggressive in encounters, supporting you (occasionally shields you or heals you a little?) or stay out of it/only self defend if an enemy targets her (in case you dont want any help) - she also copies your movement in a way, when you glide around she will too etc- in cases where you go very fast to one thing, like the hookshot, she will grab onto you

zelda also acts as your mobile crafting station, to put it bluntly, as she can craft and repair weapons, which is at first limited but can be expanded upon by doing quests (like the options of spear crafting being hugely expanded by a zora quest- fitting their fight style), when she does it you need the material needed for it though it costs no money- theres new little smith shops around the world that can repair and craft as well in which you can spend money instead for material you are lacking (and a little fee for the work you know)

(one of the first rough concepts for a pair of smiths, one is at the shop (green lady, the scars on her arms are her missing fins bc she burned them or lost them in battle), the other walks around it like terry (beedle) does and from whom you can buy already crafted simple things, like arrow types-

oh yeah, arrow types return and get more options bc theres no way in hell id make anyone scroll through that awful menu just to fuse one arrow at a time (the old types return, but theres new ones and all are craftable in bulk, here and old rough sketch)

(also theres no new 'in the same location jsut a few steps to the left' towers that shoot you into the air bc it just destroys the entire world design- even if there is no sonau tech in this one so no gliders- i want the sky to feel as dangerous and mystical as the underground)

the sky has to be reached via the hookshot, its got big islands mostly with old shiekah ruins, including that broken titan prototype i drew before, and the bird mechanic (you can tame birds and register them at a location there, idk if im keeping the idea of a lone shiekah there, but the birds will stay)-which is if you tamed a bird you can call it when gliding to gain a little boost in height, enabling you to reach islands further away (since no building, yeah that mechanic is better used in a game actually built around it, which totk just isnt- do not argue with me about that- to really let it shine instead of just being a tiktok viral funney build simulator that adds nothing meaningful to the game and actively makes it worse due to its implementation just not fitting there) or save you from falling if you barely missed the edge of one - theres few points of teleportation up there so the world map isnt made skippable, theres no shrines there (and in general, there are no shrines, just minidungeons- ACTUAL minidungeons- integrated into the world, like really big caves that are each unique and filled with challenges- and much fewer of them) (the islands being mostly made nigh invisible from the surface bc clouds gather on their underside)

perhaps different glider types?! and you can switch their design via zelda too

the old botw shrines are non fucntional due to loss of power, either overgrown or broken into pieces due to the ground breaking open, some might be infested with malice/miasma and comes alive like a weird mix between guardian and miasma crab (which also goes for guardian wrecks that hadnt been taken apart for research yet), some are fallen into caves that got revealed or got swallowed by the ground with only the tip remaining- the titans (divine beasts) are all repurposed (like in the other rewrite ideas i had)- the rito tried to flee the blizzard using medoh but sicne no one has piloted it and unstable connection to them causes them to crash in the hebra mountains, unable to leave it due to the storm and thus on limited time; vah rudania was perhaps made into a temple, or training ground but fell into the underground when death mountain collapsed (imagine ... malice/miasma infested rudania being an actual boss itself, chasing after you in the underground); vah ruta was absolutely made into a place of worship and after their domain dried out a few remained there praying to it convinced their faith would save them- its not able to move but manages to produce a little water still; vah naboris might have been used as a stronghold/lookout but due to the desert flooding (which is in fact, bad) its one of the 'islands' people now reside in

new weather types, including storm and darkness caused by mushroom spores that are invasife to the surface

theres at least six dungeons, one for each region (but not in the exact place as in botw bc that is literally just plain stupid though i might use the zora sewer/water system idea for an actual dungeon instead of .. a single button- bc how cool would that have been?? no no lets put the fish people in the sky and put a single button in the coolest part of it that only activates a waterfalll .... coming out of a tiny island in the sky- all just by of the visual neatness of swimming up??- anyway) plus a yiga one that is in and below the akalla citadel- also might put hyrule castle into the underground and inaccessible for a good portion of the game- and one in the forest of the krogs that was corrupted (which i thought was the reaso nfor the backpack krogs, but no, they literally have no goal and serve no purpose than to make funney videos with em, and then even the forest is nothing more but a reused lame fight agaisnt phantom gan- im starting to rant, sorry)

the abilties of the champions will be similar but there are changes, as in tulins (who i might just change to teba bc lets be real he was the one you interacted with in botw really..) isnt a gust of wind, since its both contrary to revalis whole deal of how difficult it was for him to create the updraft and then tulin can just do an almost exactly the same thing as like, a 12 year old- also its little usefullness after me adding in the birds for the sky and different glider types- maybe ill make it a strong windcut forward like in the other rewrite, like the yiga officer windattack but on steriods id also consider most of them not having the innate ability for it anyway, except for yuno maybe since he literally inherited daruks shield and as my idea was could make a variation of it adding the roll an fire to it but still having the shield, bc it kinda makes them like a boring copy of the botw champions and also lessens both their impact in a way (perhaps bringing dungeon items back?? idk,so still working on that)

each dungeon has a unique boss, at least on of which being a corrupted friend (PROPERLY DONE not like poor yuno in totk >:I ) bc each being just some monster tm is kinda boring (like twilight princess was so cool for how it mixed its bosses tbh)- also want satori to have a dark (also nice) counterpart that you might have to fight first bc you are trespassing into its domain (an old sketch gonna revisit it at some point)

new armor sets of course, and you still own YOUR house in hateno, zelda either has her own one in the spot where landa (the funky building lad that you bought your house from in botw) had the 'example' houses or yours got an additional building added onto it for zelda (and you can customize like, trees around it and have a lil farm spot too!!) and in your house theres a chest you can store armor sets in so you dont have to sell them to avoid inventory clutter

POUCHES return!! you can find some but most are locked behind quests (since logically people likely would have pouches) making them a really good reward and dont force you to engange with krogs if you are tired of them, it also avoids making you go back to them over and over just to expand inventory (you can choose for which part you want to use the pouch for, weapon or shield slot etc)- krog seeds are now its own currency for a lil shop you unlock in the forest, one of the highest rewards being the eponator zero (the motorcycle from botw)

also BOTTLES return! the main way to store healing, which also has to be consumed in real time (like in skyward sword, select in on a wheel so link takes it in his hands and 'a' to use it) avoiding the pause and spam apples into your mouth problem-

now cooking is NOT removed, it has even better effects than potions BUT it cant be stored and has to be consumed where you cook it (hear me out-); the cookbook in totk i find pretty annoyingly useless so, the cookbook is now a proper book you can fill out and when you want to cook a recipe you select it there and cook it with what you have (it shows if you dont have it all and also if you wanna swap an ingredient that would end with a similar effect) AND since you cant store it, theres special NPCs that reappear throughout hyrule (like a group of chefs that have one in each region at least) that let you just cook whatever you want without it wasting your materials, and if you hit a recipe it unlocks and is saved in your cookbook (you have to have the materials you want to cook with but it wont consume them, so you cant jsut spam it and fill the entire book out in one go- maybe the chef can give you subtle hints with expressions if something might be good or not before you try it out so you dont waste ages just cooking the same shit over and over xD)

(also possible idea for an item or big quest reward, a portable pot you can set up to cook with -with wood and fire- on the go without having to rely on finding them in the wild, and zelda can act as you chef giving you hints ... honestly i love this idea, remember all the cute botw art of them travelling and cooking together?? make that real you idiots!)

to upgrade your health or stamina you have to get spirit orbs still, but this time you get big ones that each can be traded, since thers fewer minidungeons but they are 4 times bigger than shrines they also give you 4 times the reward- but still one where you can choose which one you want bc i find that an important bit of freedom (idea still is that you free trapped souls and they give you the orb as a reward, majority of which are in caves in the underground or in the surface caves) which encourages you to vary your gameplay and not focus just on one area bc you probably want all those things, go for quests for puches and bottles, for minidungeons for health/stamina etc

oh yeah, the underground houses several dungeons, the weird gravity effect is in either the entire underground or in parts of it- it does not span the entirety of the map, isntead its smaller and often enclosed areas that each are more detailed and 'finished', theres different bioms and enemies you dont find anywhere else, and some enemies on the surface (like the miasma hands but like .. less easy and no phantom ganon bc that got boring rly fast) that sport those hands can grab you and drag you underground- which can either mean doom for you or .. discovering a new area down there hmmmm a risk to take isnt it :3 (also wanted there to be a mount there but idk if i will use this old concept of the dongos or if i want it to be a crab like thing bc of the underwater theme i want to go for)

LORE/STORY

so as you explore you may discover caves and areas in the underground containing sonau architecture (the type from botw, not totk) most of which heavily damaged, but theres few that are in 'better' shape bc they have been in selaed off caverns that werent yet discovered-

you find out the sonau, which you only vaguely knew from ruins in the overworld, were in fact real (but no you dont suddendly know they fucked with hylians and even their names of untold thosuands of years ago that you just so happen to have read in a book all of the sudden like it was an always known fact and not at all a myste- .. rant alarm .. ), and given the ruins underground they must have originated from there, but there are no scriptures that survived and all sculptures are in very bad shape, alot of which seems intentionally destroyed- slowly you and zelda piece together through vague clues (VAGUE game VAGUE, let people THINK) that they had knowledge of the past and the nature of the ever repeating return of disaster to hyrule; the biggest reveal beign that they knew the cycle wasnt natural at all and that it keeps being repeated only through the structure of how this land operates, the beliefs of the people that rule it, altered history etc.

the ancient shiekah under the rule of hyrules royalty found out what the sonau had discovered/knew and persecuted them (parelells to what the king would do to them later on, anyone??) since the divinity of the kingdom must be upheld by all means necessary- which is why the sonau had disappeared so entirely, with little of their culture left and none of them, and by doing so the ancient shiekah also discovered the previously lost knowledge of the gerudo king having turned into the biggest threat to the kingdom in the past (which the sonau had kept secret, knowing what consequences it could have if not handled carefully), which starts up a whole other betrayal plot of the kingdom planning to imprison gan before he can become a true threat (im gonna guess the relations between the gerudo and hyrule havent been that great even before since hyrule was still the main empire)

gan finds out before the plan goes through and assasinates the king of hyrule, the ancient queen declares war (yes, the queen for once) and in the end sacrifices herself to seal him away, more for revenge than any prophecy, but it nevertheless leads to the cycle doing its thing yet again

calamity ganon is a product of ganondorf trying to break free of his seal- and perhaps in an attempt to weaken his unbreakable will the shiekah discover they can use his spirit as a powerful source to their newly invented tech- which previously ran with processed luminous stones (yes battery theory will never let me go idc) and essentially use his own power against him by beating the calamity with their tech

(this knowledge is also how you get the yiga to work with you, using your knowledge of the past as leverage and zeldas ability to negotiate - and bc i thinks it would be cool to see her develop that way, and no i dont mean it as they all gonan fix it uwu either, its hard to go into more nuance here, its already way longer than i wanted- and yes this also ties into the koga is one of the ancient monks that made himself basically immortal through malice experiments HC of mine)

he attacks the regions bc they too sided with hyrule, he drags you to the underground bc its where he has spent thousands of years in agony, hes only out for revenge, an understable one and one you can sympathize with, but one you cannot negotiate with, its been too long, too much, no amount of apology could sate the desire for payback (which keeps the whole link and zelda defeat ganon formular alive BUT gives it nuance, right?? more tragic really, i hope that comes across)

he attacks link and zelda, breaks the masterword bc he has seen it all before, the original calamity, through the eyes of malice, he knows what you will do, inevitably so, you too will come for him, again

at the midpoint of the game you will reach hyrule castle (underground? perhaps it depends on how much health you have, getting grabbed and dragged into its depths losing hearts and if you have enough you survive until you are inside the castle and let go, you cant teleport outside - oh and zelda is either absent for the fight bc you got separated or she held onto you and protected herself with her power- honeslty kinda like the seperation idea bc after having her around all the time its gotta be super creepy to be suddendly alone) and will have a fight with him, that you kinda lose but are saved by the rest of the crew that zelda had banded together and brought here after being seperated from you- maybe without koga yet bc he would be locked to late game i think

there will be a quest to reforge the mastersword, which if you havent already gone to the forest will now lead you there (oh also some of the krogs you find outside the forest now will tell you that they had to flee, but maybe warn you not to go there yet if you are still in early game, others might not know bc they left to plant new forests, windwaker style, maybe a quest there too! to give them purpose beyond being your plaything and then just disappearing- ahem .. )

(old concept for the krog forest/dekutree boss)

the dekutree will tell you to restore it it will need the blessings of the three dragons (who might not have appeared yet, or slowly disappeared one by one, they might need to be rescued bc gan probably knows you are gonna try and repair the sword) (oh look more old concepts still relevant!)

in the end it will .. end with you defeating ganon, just like always (unsure of the place where it will will be but OH LOOK old concepts- here it was still with hyrule castle in mind but that might be jsut for the midpoint fight now- maybe id put the end fight on the forgotten plateau, to round it up nicely, ending where botw began ... ;3

i really like this one .. even more than the villain rauru one, though that one is fun bc a twist like that is pretty neat and fighting with ganondorf is also rly cool- but sicne i just dont like the totk sonau and much prefer them remaining mostly a mystery im very fond of this (also .. im so sick of ancient people with high tech bs now..)

the aim with this is to .. make a botw2 that actually feels like a botw 2 (for me), shiekah tech is still there but little functions still, logically bc its main powersource is breaking off of it, the sonau are a mystery and kinda negatively talked about bc the shiekah persecuted them just like they would later be - also explains why there are shiekah things in every sonau building, of course they would overtake their places and try to erase a much as possible of them (the thunder plateau might have been a place of worship to farodra or for research- now look its a puzzle for a shrine to strengthen our hero to defeat the thing we caused :)) ), the sonau are expanded upon WITHOUT destroying their mystery (none of them are shown, there are NO memories in this game, everything happens in real time and what you can learn about the past is mostly vague clues pieced together by nerd zelda!)

it gives more depth to the shiekah as well as add an important ounce of nuance to the yiga and shiekah, to ganondorf as well while adressing and fixing the things that needed work in botw in ways i would find enjoyable (instead of making it WORSE)

i also dont want to go too hard on 'zelda is totally agaisnt the monarchy bc monarchy BAD', its not meant to come across like that, i just wanted to do sth interesting that does question everything and bc i like to think she could be lead to a different way of thinking, especially if so through her own research and discovery of previously buried history, being confronted with her own biased views by her passion for her interests

anyway, if you read through all of this, i probably forgot stuff, buts its very late and i spent alot of time writing this (bc i cant stop once i started i guess) and theres lots of things repeated that i already talked about BUT if yo actually read through it all, i cannot even begon to express just how much that means to me, and id i dare request, do tell if you like it!!! and thank you so much!!! it might not seem like much but this is also very important to me, i still dream of gamedev after all and i see this as a sort of practice, are my mechanics and stuff actually better os does it just seem like it to me etc -

(though keep in mind, this is in part self indulfent bc hey, its not real and is never gonna be so i might just do what i want- and yes i do believe it is doable, even if this all sounds alot, the magic lies in making it less but make that 'less' more dense and detailed, hence the underground being like at least cut in half in size and the building mechanic being removed (to give to a game where its better used than totk) alone should free alot of time and space for the things i described here)

-thanks again for reading, posts like these rarely get much attention so uh ... its pretty much never worth the time i spent typing designing and writing it (even if theres still lots missing here, like the dungeons and details to the champions ..) so every bit of commentary weighs alot more <3

[queenofqueensarcheron]

One thing that always irked me in acosf is how easily Cassian is reporting to the IC about Nesta. But especially when Nesta and her friends are learning about the Valkyries. It was their little secret project to enjoy and be excited about. To learn and revive together but the moment Cassian puts his nose in their businesses he runs to his little family and report it. And what do they do….

THEY FUCKING JUDGE IF ITS A GOOD OR A BAD THING.

“ So I’m very pleased to hear of this Valkyrie business. I’m happy that Nesta finds interest in something again. And might channel all of … that into it.”

“That, Cassian knew, meant her rage, her fierce and unyielding loyalty to those she loved, her wolf instincts and her ability to kill”

-ACOSF CH.44

You sent her to train and are surprised that she’s training. Elain makes my blood boil in that book. I hope her book will help me understand her a little bit more because right now she can choke.

And the rest of them as well while we’re at it

Now Nesta has to share it with people who have no issue disregarding her feelings or boundaries and people who wouldn’t bat an eye if she died.

[murdrdocs]

INTERVIEW 006

with. miguel o'hara

includes. everybody knows that i'm a good girl officer

→ kinktober masterlist

Your eyes trained on a large hand that holds a worn out pen against a notepad. The ink keeps running out and he has to shake it to revive it, cursing in Spanish under his breath. 

You make a joke about offering him a pen, but they’d all been burnt to crisps behind you. It barely lands, Officer O’Hara rewarding you with a chuckle that’s mostly a pity expulsion of air. 

“Just a few more questions,” he tells you as he flips the page. 

“You can ask me anything you want.” Your words are meant to make you seem innocent, harmless, someone who couldn’t be capable of starting a house fire. They come off sultry, which isn’t so bad. 

He asks you about a possible criminal record. You tell him you’ve been nothing but a good girl, and he freezes for just a second before he continues. 

He asks how the fire started, you tell him with just a few details left out as you take a little step closer, crossing your arms over your chest and taking a glance down to see your nipples poking through the thin fabric of your nightgown. 

The questions grow in intensity, you start to falter, stuttering a little more than you should. 

Officer O’Hara grows suspicious, head tilting, tone hardening, eyebrows pinched together. And somehow, someway, you end up in cuffs. 

The fire is put out, the firemen gone back to the station, your nosy neighbors tucked back into bed, and there’s only you and Officer O’Hara with the night as a witness. 

You deflect. 

“Do you always work alone this late?” 

His partner went into labor last minute. 

“I feel a little exposed standing here in my nightgown.” 

He offers you his jacket. 

“It’s just still a little too cold, could we get in your car?” 

He ends up in the palm of your hands, whispering his first name into the skin of your neck as you grind your scantily clad crotch over the sturdiness of his work pants. 

“Miguel. Call me Miguel.” Eager to please, you do as told, overzealous to follow such simple orders. 

You whisper his name as he peels your panties off. You say his name as a plea for more when he’s finger fucking you with two long and thick digits. You hiss his name when his thick tip stretches your walls. You moan his name when he guides your hips in a pace that is nearly too slow. 

Your hands flex around the material you have bunched up in them, rendered useless behind your back in the too-loose metal cuffs. You’re sure that with just a little uncomfortable maneuvering, you could slip out of them. 

Instead, you ask. 

Hips bouncing on Miguel’s cock in a pace he’s set, sitting in the back of his squad car, body literally held in the palm of his hands. 

But as you prettily ask for him to uncuff you, he’s already doing so. He’s promising that he’ll make you cum. He’s giving you condolences for the terrible accident you’ve been through. He’s babbling out ways he could take care of you. 

He’s fucking pussy drunk. Too lost to realize that you’ve taken over now, hands digging into his hair and the leather behind his back as you speed up, chasing your own orgasm with complete self interest. 

Officer O’Hara lets you, head burying in your neck as he circles his arms around your torso, holding you close while you use his cock for your own pleasure. 

[10piecechickenmcnugget]

lineup of the main 4 in my empires dungeon meshi au;; more info under the cut (there’s a lot of it. kudos to you if you read all that)

oli: oli is a halfling. his hometown was destroyed in a monster attack after a nearby dungeon collapsed when he was little, however he doesn’t remember this and no one ever told him. he presumes his parents are dead (they are)

he was taken in by a nearby town of primarily tall-men, who were unfamiliar with traditional halfling naming conventions and as such just named him oliver. he doesn’t technically have a last name

he’s been studying bard magic since he was 15. halflings have a lower magic tolerance, so bard magic is the easiest for him to use, although he’s been known to get nosebleeds, headaches, or flat out pass out on occasion. he’s been exploring dungeons for about 6 years

his first death was caused by him getting caught in the crossfire of one of lizzie’s spells.

lizzie: lizzie is a beastkin, and it’s unsure whether she was created artificially or born as such. she was sold around as essentially a circus attraction izutsumi style before escaping when she was very young and finding herself in the same village oli lived in. because of this she was very untrusting and hostile for a while

oli and lizzie were often lumped together as the town oddballs; lizzie did not like oli at first and he still has several scars from her scratching the shit out of him on multiple occasions.

lizzie warmed up to him eventually, and they’ve been best friends for most of their lives. lizzie left the village as soon as she could along with oli so the two of them could pursue magic, as they were both banned from it as teenagers

she quickly discovered ancient magic and took a passion for it instantly, and it’s the main thing she studies. she’s been exploring dungeons with oli for about 6 years

lizzie is surprisingly skilled at staying alive, as she was her party’s only magic user for a long time and they relied on her to revive or heal them (healing magic is not her strong suit)

her first death happened very late into her career when most of her party was wiped out on a lower floor.

joel: joel was born and raised in the town that took in lizzie and oli. he met them both in school and the three of them have been close friends for many years. he moved out with them as soon as they were all old enough because all 3 of them were tired of being banned from pursuing their interests.

joel is not too skilled with magic, preferring combat. he’s spent years and years training and building his skills so that he can protect his party when needed (which is a lot.) he’s the party leader and lizzie and oli trust his skills and judgement.

joel’s first death involved him being drowned by a siren while trying to save oli.

sausage: sausage is an enigma to say the least. no one really knows anything about him or where he came from. oli asked once and received net zero information. everyone assumes he’s a tall-man but it’s uncertain

oli met sausage at a tavern on the island his party moved to in order to explore the dungeon there. they became friends quickly; and lizzie and joel befriended him as well. they invited sausage to join their party once they decided they wanted to go deeper into the dungeon, since he’s skilled in healing magic

sausage seems to get more and more antsy the deeper they go, but they’ve all mutually agreed not to question it

sausage has not died since joining their party, but it’s unknown if he’s died before that.

[rheya28]

Windenburg Train Station [Restaurant + Cafe ] ♥ The Sims 4: Build // CC

➽ Speed Build Video

➽ Rheya's Notes:

Hi guys, Today I present to you The Windenburg Train Station located in Windslar. This train station is known for it's Classical Architecture and beautiful historic interiors that has been conserved for decades. While the interior was updated with modern furniture's, the overall structure and essence of the building remains the same. Located inside is a 5 star restaurant, "Florentine," and a café, "Stella's Cafe," where sims can dine and lounge while waiting. The Windenburg Train Station is a multifunctional lot athat can be set as a restaurant or a Cafe. Some Spaces were left empty as I did not want to overly clutter the space with too many custom content. Feel free to decorate it! Considering that this is a multifunctional lot, I recommend downloading LittleMsSam's Lock Door mod to lock doors in community lots. This will give you more control of the space. If you want your sims to specifically be seated inside the restaurant, I suggest locking the doors to the cafe and other parts of the building.

➽ Important Notes:

● Please make sure to turn bb.moveobjects on! ● Please DO NOT reupload or claim as your own. ● Feel free to tag me if you are using it, I love seeing my build in other peoples save file ● Feel free to edit/tweak my builds, but please make sure to credit me as the original creator! ● Thank you to all CC Creators ● Please let me know if there's any problem with the build

➽ Lot Details

Lot Name: The Windenburg Train Station Lot Type: Restaurant & Cafe Lot size: 64x64 Location: Winslar, Windenburg

➽ Mods:

TOOL MOD by TwistedMexi

➽ CC List:

Note: I reuse a lot of the same cc in all my builds, specifically cc's from felixandre, HeyHarrie, Tuds, and Pierisim so if you're interested in downloading past, present, future build from me i suggest getting all their cc sets to make downloading a little easier! other creators include Sooky, Charlypancakes, Sixam, Thecluttercat, Myshunosun, awingedllama, Peacemaker, kiwisim4. This will also ensure that the lots are complete and are not missing any items upon downloading !

Awingedllama: Boho Living, Apartment Therapy, Nostalgia Living

Sooky: Paintings (all)

Felixandre x Harrie: Baysic, Jardane, livin Rum, Orjanic, Kichen

Caiocc: Cozy Set up

Charly Pancakes: Munch, Maple & S Construction, Lighthouse Collection, Chalk, Miscellenea, Modish, Slouch

FelixAndre: Chateau, Berlin, Colonial, Florence, Gatsby, Georgian, Gothic Revival, Grove, Kyoto, London, November 2017 set, Paris, Shop the look Season 2, Florence, Berlin

Harrie: Heritage, Coastal, Brownstone, Kwatei, Octave, Shop the look, Spoons

Kaiso: Rusti.co

Kiwisim4: Blockhouse Dining

Little DicaL Countryside Cabin, Greasy Goods, Rise & Grind, Roman Holiday

Madame Ria: Basic Luxe Kitchen, Cottage Living Wallpaper addon solid colours no wood,

Mycupofcc: Maple Manor

TheCluttercat: Dandy Diary, Sunny Sundae

Myshunosun : Daria, Dawn Living, Herbalist Kitchen

Peacemaker: Hamptons, Mina Kitchen

Pierisim: Autie Vera, Coldbrew, David Apartment, Domain Du Clos, MCM, Oak House, The office, Tilable, Winter Garden

Charlypancakes x Pierisim: Precious Promises

The plumbob Tea society: Cottage Garden

mlysmakescc: Pufferhead

Surelysims: Office space

Sixam: Hotel Bedroom

Tuds: Cave, Cross, IND

Taurus Design: Angela Bedroom, Lilith Chilling Areas

Whos is Sage: SImply striking Kitchen

● DOWNLOAD Tray File and CC list: Patreon Page ● Origin ID: anrheya [previous name: applez] ● Twitter: Rheya28__ ● Tiktok: Rheya28__ ● Youtube: Rheya28__

[pokemonshelterstories]

Have you ever taken care of fossil pokemon? If so, do you know how they got there?

It's my understanding that Paldea doesn't actually have many fossils to restore, if at all.

yes, i adopted a senior archeops named iris and took care of him for a few months until he passed away. i also help train an archen at the aviary i volunteer at, and i'm currently talking back and forth with some of the folks at the fossil revival center in nacrene about an archen that they cloned from iris. he was actually hatched from an ex ovo culture system so that his development could be studied!

both iris and frijoles, the archen that i work with, were cloned from dna samples found inside fossils. most fossil mons in labs are revived from these samples as opposed to being bred, because it allows for the opportunity to practice the cloning process and also to study these pokemon with the exact same genetic sequences that their dna donor had when it was alive. revival is a really expensive and time-consuming process, so most privately-owned fossil mons are bred!

and yes, we don't have any fossil deposits that i know of. it'd be interesting if someone does eventually discover fossils here! but it's actually been theorized that, because of terastal energy flowing from the great crater into our soil, any fossils we did have may have eventually broken down.

[brucewaynehater101]

There's this messy robins age reversal idea in my mind, but it centers around Tim mostly:

○ Tim Drake joins the batfamily late, only because him becoming a vigilante is still inspired by Dick, and Robin needs a Batman.

○ Ages: Babs - 9, Dick - 10, Cass - 15, Jason - 16, Stephanie - 18, Tim - 19, Damian - 25, Bruce - Old, Alfred - Ancient

○ Bruce is dead (lost in the timestream), Damian doesn't seem interested in taking care of Dick, Alfred is persevering, and Dick is on the loose and out for blood more than Damian and Stephanie are.

○ Not sure what Jason, Stephanie and Cass are doing :( I'm sorry

○ Nobody wants to take care of the newest ward with anger issues that rivals Damian. And no one stops him from going out one night. Because he snuck out.

○ Tim, on his usual night photography (collecting evidence for the GCPD AND some pics of the local vigilantes worryingly getting worse in their mental states) finds Robin cornered.

○ There's no way that the child is trained enough to be out on the streets with no parental supervision *cough*hypocrite*cough*, especially when they're wearing that.

○ Tim, who's only taken online self-defense lessons, jumps in and assists, "What's your vigilante name?!" "Robin!" "...You're serious?"

○ This is also the time he realizes the Batfam's identities because of Robin's quadruple flip. Yikes.

○ He lets Robin punch all the goons with all the anger of a prepubescent boy, and ties them all up.

○ "What are you doing out here? Where's Batman?"

○ "Batman's dead." And Tim realizes that Damian didn't take up the mantle.

○ After he takes Dick home, he tries and convince Damian to become Batman.

○ "Robin needs Batman!" "Being Batman is nothing but a curse!"

○ When a breakout happens, Nightwing (Damian) goes to take care of it, and Robin sneaks into helping. The both of them gets caught by Two-Face, and Alfred gives Tim Bruce's first costume. Which. Is super heavy so Tim opts to remove some (a whole bunch of) kevlar.

○ He arrives on scene, Damian tries to verbally eviscerate him, Dick is just happy to see Tim.

○ Tim outsmarts Two-Face and assists Damian and Dick in taking him down, mostly using more of his brain to beat Two-Face down smarter instead of harder.

○ The moment everyone is back home, Damian agrees to let Tim be Batman. But he (and Dick) will only go out once they're trained.

.....

○ Ah, I know what Jason's doing now:

● "So, little warrior, do we have a deal?"

● "You better help me find my dad, Ra's."

● Maybe this is where Jason finds Cass, or something. Maybe before he left, he had a fallout with Damian because, "Him?! Batman is Dad's!"

● And you bet your money buckets that this family calls Bruce any variation of "Dad" because Damian calls him "Father" and when he's being affectionate, "Baba". Everyone picks it up.

● It's Dick who refuses to call Bruce anything more than B. Well, the others, too the first few months but, ehhhh... Also, Dick barely knows him other than that this is the guy who adopted him a week (months) ago and now he's gone???? What is his life? Why is it like this? Welp, time to punch some goons instead of facing the grief of losing another parental figure he definitely DID NOT get attached to :(

AND / OR:

■ Jason, who recently died after Bruce because he was desperate to find at least one parent who isn't Damian to love him. Damian was Batman at the time, but was too late to save his little brother.

■ And then, Jason is revived because of universe altering shenanigans, and he sees that Damian let some random stranger take up the Batman mantle. He sees that there's this little child getting all of Damian's attention. He sees this girl who isn't Stephanie taking up the Spoiler Mantle.

■ Jason is still a child. One that Talia could use to manipulate to get rid of all the obstacles in Damian's way to greatness. It's so easy to whisper info into his head and let him come up with the wrong conclusions.

Like I said, this is all pretty messy. It made sense in my brain, but after writing it nothing made sense anymore.

There's a part in my mind where I want Dick to hand the Batman title back to Damian because the older man seemed ready for it, but Tim in his grief is still holding on to it. Damian, who is more mature about it, allows Tim to be Batman for a while more. He's waited his whole life, he can wait a few more years.

Heck, Jason could have a try at it as well if he wants.

Aghhh, I dunno. I just had vibes of: Older civilian Tim sees quadruple somersault = immediately knows almost all of the Batfamily's identities = "i can fix them and i'm allowed to because i'm an adult"

Hello!!! I love the opposite take of Tim becoming Batman for Robin instead of what happens in canon. It's a really cool idea I haven't seen before!

I am so interested in their backstories too. Did Tim's parents still die? Did Jason and Steph still die? How did Cass join the family? What was Damian's childhood like? Also, how does Tim joining late affect YJ?

There's so much to try to figure out here that I'm intrigued ^^

I would be down for figuring it out a bit more!

[plansexualford]

As a long time billford truther (this blog may be new but I’m not.) I’m so happy to see the revival of a ship that was once so misunderstood.

Below is my not so little rant about my frustrations with “but it’s toxic” people and the disservice it does in undermining not only fans’ intelligence but lowkey the writing of the content we’ve been given. Also, a bit on how fandoms in general seem to dismiss the use of ships (unless canonized/written directly into the story) as a medium to tell complex, and sometimes uncomfortable stories.

The frustration I have towards the people that act like they’re high and mighty for saying “billford is ironic, you shouldn’t actually ship it cause it’s toxic” or some variation of treating it as a joke or untouchable that piss me off for multiple reasons.

1. We know, you are not smarter or superior for acknowledging a fact that is crystal clear to see and is literally the most common way that dynamic is explored. Like wow, congrats on providing such valuable insight that none of us saw before. The only times I ever see it not explored in that way has maybe been through pre-betrayal interactions and what ifs.

Not to say there are NEVER clear misreadings (not aus/or fixits/etc. just poor understandings) of their characters that are devoid of what makes them—them, but I fear I truly dgaf and just wince and move on.

2. It is in my opinion, infinitely worse (edit: and honestly a sign of immaturity) to want the allusions to a toxic relationship to be jokes instead of simply accepting that a relationship did happens in canon, whether it happened platonically or romantically (though there is more subtext that 12 y/o me would have never I’d ever imagined reading as an adult for that latter recently.) It should be taken seriously, given that the book clearly wants us to, otherwise the allusions in the book and thisisnotawebsitedotcom.com would not exist in the way that they do. Why would you rather something like that be a joke instead of allowing yourself to sit with and accept discomfort?

Ultimately billford is twisted, it’s horrifying to imagine, it’s a tragically awful train-wreck we can’t look away from. After all that, Ford’s resolve is honestly healing. And if we see interesting, complex stories/art/musings to tell from this dynamic, what’s wrong with that?

Lastly, the source material is a Y7-V Disney Channel show that premiered over 10 years ago, we’re (I assume mostly) adults now. Unclench.

P.S. I’m being unserious when I say this but “toxic yaoi/yuri ” is apparently trend and y’all can’t handle a yellow triangle demon and a grown man from a Y7-V series? Smh. Take every variation of that phrase out your tumblr bio immediately, you don’t deserve it.

[theforsakenprince]

okay okay before I lose my train of thought. The way Destiny uses the dichotomy between Light and Darkness is so fucking interesting to me and way more complex than just "light good, dark bad" (and just for clarification, I'm talking about the Traveler vs. The Witness here, not the actual light and dark abilities themselves. that's a different post.)

The Traveler and Witness represent several different things, but the things that are most focused on are 1. simplicity vs. complexity and 2. choices and the lack of choices. These two go hand in hand because more choices make things more complex inherently and less choice makes things more simple. The Traveler obviously represents choice, and The Witness wants to take it away; to make the universe more simple.

The sword and bomb analogy demonstrates this pretty well. A sword is made with very few materials and has a single edge for one purpose: to slice and cut and stab. A bomb, however, has many more moving parts, with each individual part having some sort of function. It's more complex and probably does a lot more damage, but it won't work if even one part malfunctions. More choice offers complexity, but with the caveat that more things can go wrong. Less choice makes things simple, puts everything in neat boxes that serve a single purpose.

The Witness wants things to be simple. It wants an answer to every question and wants things to act in a predictable way. That's why it tries to convince us that the Darkness is the only way to salvation. Why the worms forced the osmium siblings to follow only their nature; Oryx can only seek more knowledge, Xivu Arath can only be war, and Savathun must deceive to keep their immortality.

The Traveler gives the Lightbearers the exact opposite. It wipes their memories clean and gives them a fresh start, to make their own choices whether they be good or bad ones. It gave them a second chance, to be better than they were in their previous lives without the burden of those memories. And of course, some chose to be awful people, but that’s sort of inevitable when giving so many people so much power. Most Lightbearers did decide to be better as shown with the Guardians today, and they decided that by their own free will.

Which brings me to the reason I wrote this whole thing, Savathun. She, frankly, doesn't give a shit about either Darkness or Light, she just sides with whatever will give her what she wants with the least amount of strings attached, which is immortality. So she gets rid of her worm and gets a Ghost to revive her. And what’s the first thing she does? Get her memories back. The second? Go right back to being her old self, and doesn't even stop to consider her history of genocide and lies. She remains the same. She's still the same person she was billions of years ago when she first became Savathun, which goes against the entire philosophy of the Traveler. Savathun doesn't want to change, and you can't force someone to change if they're completely set in their ways.

It's just interesting to me how Savathun rejects the Darkness and embraces the Light now without understanding (or, more likely, caring) about why the Traveler created the Ghosts and the Lightbearers.

[inbarfink]

The deaths of all the Finch kids are really so unbearably tragic. It really speaks to the quality of the writing and storytelling in ‘What Remains’. They’re written as so vivid and human and real, but also so many of them died so young. They were children, it’s so much harder for me to do the whole ‘well, let’s appreciate the life they did have’ thing when the majority of them didn’t even have a chance to become the people they could have become. And yet the image of who they could’ve been if they survived is so vivid in my mind. 

Edith had that line about how she always imagined Molly as a girl she could be good friends with. Obviously if she didn’t die back in 1947 they wouldn’t really be at the same age group, but she’d be one hell of a Cool Aunt. I can only imagine her Weird Girl tendencies would’ve only grown stronger and stronger with age. Considering her fascination with animals, maybe she would’ve gone to study Zoology or Biology when she grew older? And since she was dissecting a sea star just before her canon death…

Sadly, I’m not sure if Barbara would’ve been able to resurrect her acting career. But there’s some subtle hints in her room that in reality she was more willing to move past it compared to her fictionalized version in that horror comic (which can’t be easy when you live in a room your dad themed entirely around your child-star years THANKS SVEN). That ‘horror convention’ seems to be an invention of the comic, Barbara’s actual room has a flier for a ‘Witch’s Ball’ at Orcas Island High School and a dress ready for it. 

Barbara Finch didn’t actually spend her last day on earth hopelessly trying to revive her dead career, she was hoping to have a fun Halloween party like a regular teenager. Maybe the fact that it was hosted by the Orcas Island High School Drama Club implies she still had an interest in acting and theatre. Maybe she could’ve ended up as a classically trained actress with the child-stardom as just a fun quirk of her past? Or maybe she just wanted to take part in the Witches Ball because she likes Spooky Things? And she could have found her way back into the Horror Scene in a different way, like being a writer or costume designer or something?

Maybe Calvin could’ve become an Astronaut like he always wanted? But I think Calvin might’ve been more enthralled with the fantasy of science fiction than the reality of space travel. I’m thinking a lot about how Sam described Clavin in Gregory’s memoriam as ‘lost in his imagination’. Maybe he could’ve become a science fiction writer or something?

Walter didn’t technically die young, but he still certainly lost most of his years to the Curse. Like, a big thing about the tragedy of Walter to me is realizing his original childhood bedroom was themed after “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and trains. 

Lil’ Walter did have an interest in adventure and travel, before his fears took it all away from him. If it wasn’t for the Curse, Walter could’ve actually something with it. Maybe he could’ve traveled around a bit and written about his experiences.

Lewis would’ve probably gone into game design. It’s not just how his fantasies manifest to us the players, but you can actually find books about game design and coding in his room. It seems that the problem was that his crappy job and his depression took away any opportunity he might have had to actually pursue this idea. Maybe if Milton never left, these three Finch siblings could’ve combined their creative skills together to make like, a very cool artsy game.

Speaking of which… man, Edith’s death stings the most because we got to know her far better than anyone else. And it’s not even the fact that she never got to share her all of her thoughts and creativity with the wider world that makes me the saddest. Getting to the end of the game and hearing just how much she was looking forwards to be with her son - even with all the hardships of being a teen mom, she was really looking forwards to it. To meet him, to share her stories with him. But instead, that worn old diary is the only connection between them...

And that’s like… part of what’s so great about WRoEF’s use of its own format. Like, the faux-interactive linearity of the Narrative Exploration/‘Walking Simulator’ is so perfect for selling this tragedy. The way each Death Flashback only moves forwards based on the actions of the Player, but it always moves on the same unchanging doomed path - really highlights both how stupidly preventable so many of these deaths feel and really make the Player wish there was a way to change them. After all, all they need is for Calvin to not swing so hard, for Gregory’s faucet to not turn back on, for Walter to not stand directly on those train tracks and everything would’ve been fine. But at the same time it’s so, so clear to the Player that this is an impossible wish. There is no other way these sequences can go - these deaths have already been written. The most you can you is linger, all you can do is delay the inevitable. 

But it hurts.