Thank You @dark-dragon74 for the suggestion!
So I decided, really, that the regular conduit is decent! It could just use a new purpose and a makeover.
so basically, the conduit is now built similar to this
where theres a ring around it, and theres supports on the sides (basically enough for a half-conduit), but now theres gold on the sides. the gold is like a call back to Ocean Monuments and how theres gold in the dark pris blocks in the center.
the gold placed on any 4 of the sides, combined with a block of your choice (i chose colored concrete for convenience) allows you to warp BETWEEN conduits. all you have to do is stand on the gold block, wait a few moments for a particle effect, and TADA!
youre there! sinple as that. so the only catch with this design is that the "portals" have to be aligned to the same X-Z axis for it to work (at least conceptually) and the range is only as big as the conduit's reach.
notice how the green path is perfectly in line. the upside to this: you can have anything you want in the way! and you can even.....
elevate...
the "portals"! so long as theyre in water, it works!!
as well, they can branch off into a maximum of 4 paths per conduit. which means complex transport methods!
if you can see all those conduits in the water, those are all currently connected. ALSO you can customize them (like regular conduits!!). that feature didnt vanish.
I hope this has been a comprehensive glimpse into my idea of better conduits! I also just made a cool regular conduit bc i felt like it.
Thank you again to @dark-dragon74 for the request! I hope this is close to what you meant.