SWTD from Rennick's POV must be completely insane.
No cause imagine instead of going on your planned Christmas vacation with your twin grandkids, Cadal puts you and your platform under notice for underdelivery and traps you in the middle of the ocean over Christmas with a bunch of sweaty Scottish men (who are also pissed about having to stay over Christmas with no bonus) while tightening your schedule cause seriously where is our oil.
Not only that but imagine on Boxing Day you're busy chewing out one of said sweaty Scottish men for secretly being on the run from the police and threatening police presence on the Beira when you get a call from the drilling personnel who are like "Rennick??? Rennick, there's something in the way of the drill, Rennick..."
like are we well? That is precisely why you have a drill, my guys.
SWTD in Trots' POV must be utter chaos cause he must have gotten absolutely ragebaited by the giant shape disaster of '75, considering he probably pulled a bunch of strings just to get to the point where he could type up an ultimatum for industrial action that morning.
He probably tried and failed many times to get to that point (ranting about it CONSTANTLY to his colleagues) and many things must have gotten in the way before this point. Poor Trots---he kept trying to speak up and spark positive change only to get shut down.
When bro typed up that letter he probably thought nothing could stop his strike anymore and then AN ELDRITCH HORROR ABOMINATION ROSE UP FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA? EXCUSE ME??
Sometimes I think about how Rennick called Gibson "Gibbo" during his phone call in the intro.
In fact, it's made odder by the fact that he exclusively calls you McLeary (except of course for that one unused puppet line that makes me shit myself)
It's got me thinking about how crude & rude/down in the mud he is despite managing the Beira with his superiority complex. He works; thinks he's above everyone else despite talking poor about his employees as would a peer, using the most colourful language of the bunch, and referring to employees by nickname?!
Like in a different world where he was a nicer guy without a superiority complex, I could easily imagine him playing darts with the rest of the crew. Real shame.
Hi guys. Seeing as I've got chapters [09] and [10] of CYWB wrapped and ready, please entertain me while I yap and lose my sanity CAUSE HOW HAVE I HEARD NOTHING ABOUT THIS?? DOES THIS CHANGE EVERYTHING?
---So I was very very slowly inching through my first actual playthrough of SWTD (we're talking over 12 hours and I just got up to the Accommodation Roof) when I entered the washroom by the transformed crew lounge and found these bloodied and feral handprints near the floor, just by the entrance to the washroom. Being as incredibly normal about Trots as I am, I immediately thought "Trots?? Trots! That has to be Trots!!" and ran up to them, crouched, and investigated further---when this little gremlin of mystery and doom graced my eyes.
TW: pictures of bloody SWTD horrors/growths/whatever the fuck this is I don't even know any more a-coming!
Plus, turning up your brightness might really help (it is so incredibly dark in this game)
A FUCKING TINY MEATBALL WITH A TAIL??
Now listen, I'm not a very squeamish person and I can very well handle the all-too-common sight of ill-fated crewmates fused to the walls via inexplicable cosmic growths---but this is completely different!! This guy is not only completely free and mobile to move around as would be a regular puppet, but he is also VERY VERY TINY?? Like those hands are normal hand size btw; he's actually just a very small meatball-fish thing.
like ok I was supposed to look at and scrutinize these handprints. Look at them. Look how absolutely bonkers whoever left them (Trots, most likely) went. Look how they start a good ways in front of him and disappear by the point his body begins. Pay attention to these details btw cause they will come in handy later.
For now, have a snipe of his body (and is it even actually a 'he'? I have trouble believing this can be a normal human crewmember)
As you can see, he's very stiff and curvy; no tendrils in sight but a very distinct end to his little tail that suggests he could have been a mobile enemy (though is very still and probably dead/never got to living in the first place).
Before I continue my yap, let us take a good look at his face.
Alright so we have many eyes, a split face (perhaps replicated a couple of times), A couple of brown eyes and a couple of cloudy ones can be seen. What's more, the most fucked-up mouth I've seen, with little suspiciously finger-shaped whiskers/mandibles/whatever they are I mean I have a picture of them right here.
And like ok...
EXCUSE ME?? THE DEVS JUST PLANTED THIS TINY FLESHBAG GREMLIN IN A RANDOM SPOT IN THE MAP AND DID NOT MENTION HIM AT ALL? NOT IN 2 YEARS DID I SEE ANYONE SO MUCH AS BREATHE IN HIS DIRECTION??
Guys I have the artbook. I have the artbook. I read through the entire artbook and nothing like this was ever mentioned. Seriously who is this guy.
NOT ONLY THAT BUT CAZ DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT?? HE SAYS NOTHING??
Like am I supposed to believe that the horror is reproducing?? Cause that is not a puppet---that was never a man! That is too tiny and too insignificant to have once been a man---and yet that makes it all the more significant!! Like yeah, I know TCR had a bunch of puppets and levels in store for us (until the budget came along) but this couldn't have been one of them, right?? This isn't an actual puppet, right???
You know what he reminds me of, actually? That one old puppet design of Muir who liked to ram into people and got called 'The Meatball' cause he was just a meatball with a bunch of eyes and a tail (and had to get changed into the spider boy we all know and love cause a giant meatball isn't actually that scary). Then I started thinking that this was something like Muir and Innes' lovechild because I am very mature like that---and then I instantly spiralled into the craziest most crack-theory depths trying to think of where this thing of pure myth came from.
Like could an affected Finlay have dropped off one too many pluripotent stem cells in there and let it fester? Wait, how old is she again?
Actually, you know budding? The thing that yeasts and hydras do? What if a puppet tried budding but only passed an underdeveloped meatball-man instead---or even ripped out the tiny thing when it kept getting stuck in things? AND GUYS IS THE HORROR ACTUALLY REPRODUCING??
It's come to my attention that since no mechanism is yet known for the ribbons of sea bacon/the forbidden fruit rollup to create a little gremlin with eyes (AKA actual human genetics) out of seemingly nothing (AND VERY WELL DISCONNECTED FROM LITERALLY ANY NEARBY GROWTH, MIND YOU), the most likely reason for this tiny man's occurrence is some sort of mode of reproduction/replication by an affected crewmember (and let's rule out sexual reproduction due to firstly my own sanity but also to stray away from overly-ambitious assumptions; consider a puppet tried to clone itself---AKA asexual reproduction/budding---as something the horror has already been shown many times to do).
RETURN MR. IAN 'TROTS' CAMPBELL TO THE PICTURE!
Trots stands out as the most likely source of this budding due to many reasons of which I will name right now:
1) He is the only MOBILE (guys cause the gremlin was disconnected from the other growths) puppet in the Accommodation module; he even transformed right there behind the door.
2) This "puppet" is so primitive-looking (a mere fetus, if you will) that I would instantly rule out later enemies (I'm assuming those like Muir, Rennick, and Addair would be able to replicate themselves with more precision). That being said, perhaps me calling it 'underdeveloped' rules this one out
3) BROWN EYES!! I can't with all of the SWTD characters with blue, green, heterochromia---you name it---eyes. As far as I know, the only characters with brown eyes are Trots and Rennick (and guys, let's rule out Rennick over Trots)
4) Hands!! Who else has actual hands but Trots and Addair (and lets rule out Addair) -> also notice that these handprints are very close to the ground and quite little (Addair, who hovers around, probably has like six arms or something atp while Trots, the slimy crawler, only has 1 on that side; 2 on the other)
5) Trots has a tail!! (that literally only rules out Muir, but I'll take it) Furthermore, Trot's 'tail' bears the most resemblance to that seen in the image. They're both long, thin and smooth.
6) Trots is always throwing up?? Now this one might be a stretch but this man keeps retching and letting up nothing like he's constantly traumatized by the experience of letting up something terrible (little meatball gremlin?) by mouth. Could he have been passed by mouth? Maybe. Is it likely? Maybe not.
In fact, my best theory at the moment is that it either budded out from his slug-like midsection, past where his hands could reach (perhaps with some pushing/dragging from Trots, hence the prints in front of it), or the poor guy had to rip out the 'fetus' from his mass with a great struggle (albeit the trail of blood leading to it is very light, so I probably wouldn't default to this). When had this happened? Realistically, it could have been at any point. The handprints are quite dark so probably not very recently, but my guess is somewhere between Trots turning and Caz running into him in the laundry (but later is also possible).
And I know what you guys are thinking at this point: "But Duke! Didn't the artbook say something about wanting to add lots of infected seagulls and rats?" to which I will say: Yes, they did---but this doesn't look like a rat; IT LOOKS LIKE TROTS!!
Either way, abortion/stillbirth or not, I still can't get over the fact that someone literally delivered a tiny meatball fetus in the washroom and there's been radio silence about it for two years. AND CAZ WON'T EVEN SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT? SOMEONE GAVE BIRTH HERE AND HE'S JUST CROUCHING THERE LIKE 👁️👄👁️
Like Caz at least say something nice about Trots' journey into fatherhood or something I don't know. I still can't believe my eyes like this was last night. In fact, I started writing this an hour ago and I am still losing my mind who the fuck is this guy/thing/what the fuck what is going on I didn't know the horrors could reproduce what what who in the fuck in this guy
Also in honour of my discovery, the likeness to 'The Meatball,' and my Trots headcanon/crack-theory, this little goober shall be named 'Snowball' until further notice.
Thanks for tuning in (cause seriously this ended up very LONG). I'm gonna go cry now.
If TCR ever releases more SWTD merch then they need to release a line of lubricant spray bottles as reusable water bottles. Your local SWTD buff will take a swig of water so that everyone in their vicinity can watch with great concern.
I just want to say that if SWTD took place in the 2020's then Trots would definitely be wearing a pronoun pin (possibly even a Scotland pin, if he could get his hands on one).
This is in no way insinuating anything politically; I'm just saying things the way I see it, and I don't see things going any other way.
And yes he would still be like 60; that won't change.
Delighted to say that despite being almost to exactly three times as long as a normal chapter, revisions for chapter [08] of CYWB are moving along quicker than expected. I'll do all that I can to get this one out by Saturday---maybe even Friday; that sounds nice.
hey dude!!!! just warning you but the person who made the shape juvenile headcanon (since you commented on their post) used ai to make that and uses it for writing and art!!!! I just wanted to let you know since your a artist!
Hey there!!
Yeah, thanks for telling me about that! I had my suspicions that it sounded somewhat like AI though it wasn't completely obvious to me at the time; it's safe to say I'm not surprised.
That being said I still like the idea buried in there; it's a shame that some people go to bots to put their thoughts into words instead of taking the time to learn how to do that effectively themselves (or, I dunno, just writing it themselves period?)
I haven't seen any of their other stuff (that would have probably helped) but thanks for letting me know!
Thinking about how there is a non-zero chance that Caz's hair might have just grew out because he forgot to bring shaving materials with him. I just find that so goofy.
Like yes you could make the case that he could have brought them and just become a shell of himself on arrival; he doesn't care about his appearance anymore; can't look at himself in the mirror; he's too busy overworking himself to distract from his constant anxieties that all he can do at the end of the shift is fall into bed and black out; basically is living like a prisoner which is hella ironic etc. but hear me out: the former is funny. It's just too goofy.
Yes he looks like a man on the verge of divorce and serving time but at the same time imagine if he was actually in too much of a rush to bring all his shit. I'm sure he forgot other stuff too that we don't know about; it would be fun if this was one of them.
I'll be honest; it isn't too often that I think of @sgiansporran's lovely headcanon on Rennick's puppet design, but then I looked a little too deep.
See, a while ago I was raving about how Trots is literally Trotsky---not just because he's a Communist with round glasses but also as I just realized, because he embodies the true Leninist spirit! If I recall correctly, the main difference between Leninism and Marxism is that Marx believed revolution would occur spontaneously while Lenin thought a group of organized professionals would have to educate the masses and get the ball rolling. Put that way, it's no surprise that Trots worked tirelessly to preach workers' safety and rights, as well as typed up a letter giving notice of his intention to start a whole strike?? Like yes, he technically asked for a dialogue to "resolve [their] valid dispute" but given how much he was preaching this "revolution" of his, I'm choosing to believe it was all for show. Trots, for what it's worth, is the true embodiment of a Leninist. He's not just called such because of his constant political tangents and cute round glasses (although that might have been the case for the crew) but because he literally is Trotsky personified.
Meanwhile, Spore's headcanon suggests that Rennick got decapitated in the helicopter crash, explaining his... odd build, to put it lightly. In other words, if Rennick is the king of the Beira, then off with his head. He wasn't thinking of it when he made that comment in the intro, but that was what fate had in store for him anyway; if he wanted to live like the king of the Beira, then like a king he would die.
Actually, now that I'm writing this up, y'know what I just realized? Perhaps this is a reference to many a revolution (namely, the French Revolution) where the royal couple were decapitated. Do I mean to say that the disaster on the Beira is a metaphor for its own sort of revolution? Perhaps; let's go with that for a moment: despite being a revolution (Trots' favourite thing I'm sure), it wasn't at all what the man had in store. In the end it only worsened Trots' safety grievances as the whole place fell apart, and ultimately led to his demise. Is this at all referencing how betrayed Trotsky felt by the direction Stalin led Russia to---and that not only did he feel the revolution was betrayed with the turn it took but it also manifested into Trotsky's fate? Directly, Rennick and Trots have nothing to do with each other in this highly convoluted context, but it's still interesting to think about.
This is a literary device, right?? When a character literally personifies an allusion to history or popular culture?? This is fucking subtle stuff too; I'm amazed!
Which... yeah, I guess you could say I thought it was peak a few minutes ago and now it's mid? I'll share it anyway cause it's still pretty cool.
Okay so imagine a universe where Caz is a puppet---like a mobile, stalking puppet with voicelines and everything. As we know, being a puppet entails being a subconscious trapped in a monstrous form---and as we know but keep forgetting, Caz is our claustrophobic king!
Also guys this literally came to me very briefly at the end of a dream so I just hopped into the tags and started cooking. Yes, one of his lines has to be "I can't breathe" and Roy HAS to hear him say it (and yes Caz has to be gasping while he says it cause he's just silly like that). I also imagine him just running around and into the walls like he's trying to pry himself out of there (but it never works </3)
Actually put that way, it sounds like his existence could very easily be worse than hell.
Honestly Puppet Caz's psyche is a little weird as on the one hand, he's afraid of being found; on the other hand, he's afraid of being erased. It looks like all I can confirm right now is that he's not great in tight spaces.
I don't know what I was on last night but for some reason I dreamt that SWTD wasn't just a one-time thing but a mere installment (an episode, if you will) of a saga of different perilous oil rig adventures; it just happened that the cosmic-horrors-beyond-human-comprehension episode was my favourite. Even then, that's only one plot structure---one day on the Beira and only one small chance to explore the world and its characters; I thought to open my eyes and consume the rest but alas I then woke up :'(
And yes, if you're wondering, this came to me as I (Caz) was doing parkour while being chased by a giant and evil kangaroo. Don't ask. Normal Beira D Chronicles stuff.
And yes, if you're wondering, I wasn't thinking about the game's ending when this was running through my mind.
Another week another delayed chapter!! (all jokes aside, I'm really close to finishing Ch6 and then definitely need the extra time for a 28-PAGE Ch7)
As promised, have some of my artworks from my partially revived au (of which I said time and time again that I'd write "if my spirit isn't broken after CYWB"). Last is a WIP cause I'm lazy and can't finish anything unless I actually set aside a schedule for it.
Warning: partially revived au means PARTIALLY revived! It means blood, tumours, disfiguration etc. of someone who actually looks like a person again.
(A few nods to some plot points in my au sketches)
I derived this au from the original ideas from the devs: that assimilated humans were just vessels for the horror to explore a world not made for them (not unlike spacesuits, PPE, machines etc. for humans).
But what if you don't fit your equipment; know nothing about taking care of your suit? Put so much extra stress on your it?
It won't just snap right back the second it's doffed!
And this coming from an entity that doesn't know the first thing about taking care of a human!
So now we're left with an overstretched and torn human hazmat suit, still terribly disfigured, terribly thrown off of his chemical balance, and still full of cosmic residues.
In a sense, revival in this au is revival with consequences. The essence of Puppet Muir got purged from its tortured dwelling, and now his body and mind have to work incredibly hard to recover.
So I just hit my elbow really hard last night and started jumping and waving it around to cope with the pain---and then it hit me!
All this time we thought Muir was a jolly energetic dude when in reality he was just so clumsy that every brush of his limbs in an ungodly place had him suddenly running around and hopping on his feet.
In all seriousness, it is either this or he moves on like nothing happened (I can already imagine him ranting about some passionate topic, shoulder-checking a doorframe and continuing on like nothing happened; his pal tries asking him if he's ok but he's too enthralled in the topic of conversation to answer) because maybe he has a massive pain tolerance after all of that (which makes his state as a puppet all the more disheartening).
Be honest does he run around after bumping around or does he just shrug it off?
I'm either procrastinating terribly, or just in a pickle with this chapter because for some reason each pass of chapter 6 takes like at least 2 days to complete (and keep in mind I read over each chapter on average 6 times before posting) so js a heads up it might come a little later and be pushed back to the following Saturday or something of the sort.
Oh yeah, also as I'm sitting on google docs, the chapter is 26 pages long while the others were anywhere from 13-18. Perhaps that has something to do with it.
Also guys as tough as it is to get through each pass I am honestly very stoked for this chapter!! I love chapter 6 guys I love it so much...
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