#cots extras

[lazysunjade]

W O O D L A N D | G A L A

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a year in review | Chosen of the Sun

my annual collection of favorite pictures, moments and scenes from CotS from this year. to be honest, so much has happened in the story it was hard to go through everything and pick out favorites. the scenery and settings, I feel, also improved this year which made filming much more enjoyable despite all the effort it takes to deal with the game. I can't believe I said in my last review that 2023 would be the year I finished, and I only barely managed to finish a chapter lmfao. That being said it is, once again, in my New Year's resolutions to finish the story in 2024. Given how much we have left to get through, it'll be a tall order, but doable. As much as I love CotS and still don't want it to end, I am starting to look forward to the "what's next" and think more on my other projects, but for now, I am happy to continue posting these bozos for another year. as always, thank you to all of you for reading along and participating. You've made posting this story so much fun for me, and I know I wouldn't still be active here if it wasn't for all of you. So thank you and here's to an excellent 2024!

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CotS: What Ifs // part ii

what if Aster would have chosen to not give up the banner in the forest battle against Sarayn/Therion?

The notes on this scene are as above. Had Aster refused to give up the banner, Therion would have intervened to stop Sarayn from killing Eira and the three of them would have come to a diplomatic agreement to surrender the banner anyways. Eira would have been too injured to continue, and Kyrie would have pulled them out. Therion and Aster's relationship would have gotten a big boost instead of the hostile confrontation they had in canon leading to Aster's opinion of Therion falling off. Sarayn and Therion would have continued the trial at odds which then would have impacted the follow up scene between Sarayn and Therion vs Åse and Eve, as Therion would no longer have been a willing partner in the fight. Obviously this would have wiped Sarayn's reputation across the board (as if it could get any worse at that point lmao).

what are the potential outcomes of Sarayn's answers to Tayuin?

These were the three potential paths Sarayn's route could take. At over halfway through the story, he is now officially locked in. During the poll, one answer from each category was selected, defaulting him into the Wisdom route. Only one of the questions had a close vote, but either option would have locked him into Wisdom. This was the most neutral, and admittedly, probably most fitting route, but the least interesting storywise (in my personal opinion. sorry).

what if Sarayn wouldn't have ditched Eve just to win in the first trial?

Sarayn would have given the key to Eve and they would both have been granted the win. Eve and Sarayn would have continued to grow their relationship. Obviously the impact of Sarayn starting down that path made many waves throughout the story, so I can't list all the might-have-beens. That being said, this was one of the very earliest preliminary "lock out" votes as he acted against one of Kyrie's most closely held moral codes. Had the poll gone the other way, there was a scene to follow that would have taken place in the library where Kyrie would have come to him and asked him about his home and generally what it was like to live his life. They would have bonded over their vastly different life experiences and perspectives. After the second Eve/Sarayn vote, Sarayn was eliminated from bachelor challenge contention entirely. At best, he and Kyrie can end the challenge as friends, but that is still to be decided. If anyone is interested or cares enough, I've uploaded the dialogue text of the Sarayn x Kyrie library scene here since I liked it a lot and I'm still sad it never happened.

what if Tayuin had apologized to Taiyo in the forest trial instead of being a brat?

(for the record, "asker" used much stronger language but I reworded the question lmfao). The conversation between Taiyo and Tay would have gone much differently (obviously), Tayuin would have had a bit more self-reflection. Taiyo cursing Tay in retribution wouldn't have happened as it did HOWEVER, it would have happened eventually, anways. Had Tay not pressed Taiyo over the apology, they would have carried on and run into Indy and Tal. Tay would have tried to arrange an ambush of sorts against Taiyo's wishes and Taiyo would have had the same control loss and used the curse against Tay to stop him from hurting Tal and Indy. So yes, Tay would have been cursed no matter what.

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CotS: What Ifs // part i

what if Indy had chosen the right book, what would have changed? did getting it wrong set things back or would it have led down an entirely different path?

It wasn't a separate path, but it was a different way of coming to the revelations we'll reach in the first half of chapter five. So it pushed this timeline back quite a bit. We'll get to the same conclusion but certain aspects will be different, because it will be explained through two different points of view. If the Ledgers had been chosen, it would have given some information about Castien before we saw him die when Sarayn and Åse got ported into the past. However, this still wouldn't have been the best route because most things would have been irrelevant at the time, but readers would have at least heard the name prior to his actual introduction.

If the Bishop's Journal had been chosen, we would have learned directly from a member of the clergy about certain major events in past ceremonies. Some of this information has been filtered through in other ways throughout the story, but the actual outright unveiling of it won't happen until a specific scene in chapter five. But it will be told through someone outside of the church who isn't privy to the same knowledge as those on the inside.

I don't write so far ahead if something is vote dependent, which means I can't necessarily list scenes that would have occurred if a different route had been chosen. However, scenes that would have been altered or never happened would have included Talila and Indryr's discovery of the orc's body in the forest and Sarayn and Taiyo's discussion in the crypt.

what if Taiyo hadn't fucked up had gotten all the riddles correct

This one is hard because the entire direction of the story was altered because of the bloodhex lmao. I would say it's one of, if not the best fuck up, praise the dice! It led to much more interesting outcomes. If Taiyo had answered all the riddles correctly or if the fight option had been chosen, the two would have had a "happy ending" outcome, which I believe were just some mild buffs. Things that wouldn't have happened at all (obviously) include: Therion and Taiyo's continued friendship, Taiyo's ability to pursue hemomancy, the sidequest to return to the forest, and Tayuin's entire "savior arc".

feel free to send more what if's if you're interested in knowing about different outcomes!

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a year in review | Chosen of the Sun

a collection of some of my favorite moments, memes, and memorable photos from the story thus far. most pictures are from 2022, though a couple are from the fifteen whole CotS posts I made in 2021. despite my many hiatuses, the story really hit its stride this year, and what an amazing journey it’s been already. I knew from the start a project this ambitious was likely going to take me multiple years to finish, but I’m proud of myself for not giving up on it as we head into our second year. 

as we approach the halfway mark, I expect 2023 to be the year I complete it. but honestly, I’m fine taking my sweet time, because posting CotS has been one of the best simblr experiences I’ve ever had. I could never have imagined last summer that this would end up being so much fun. getting to know these characters, watching reactions in the comments, and seeing the reader interaction on the polls has been incredibly entertaining. I’m so glad we still have a ways to go because I’m not ready to leave yet. thank you to everyone who reads along, and to all ten of my willing victims participants who made the incredible sims that make this story great. CotS wouldn’t be what it is without y’all ♥

here’s to making even more memories in 2023!

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I have, once again, spent way too long making a silly character quiz for my story. This time with CotS! I thought it would be fun to see who everyone gets, and if the cast members actually get their own sims lmao. Link for the quiz is below, comment and let me know who you get!

TAKE THE QUIZ |

[hoshikonobleach]

Honestly I really want Hoshi to just accidentally call Urahara "Dad"

Ask and ye shall Receive:

Sleeping at the Urahara Shoten was a common occurrence for Hoshiko, she was often there maybe once or twice a week, which meant that she was there in time for breakfast. The table, as always, was packed with foods and people. Jinta and Ururu sat on either side of Hoshiko, the three looking the part of sleepy children rather well. Jinta quietly ate his rice while Ururu stared at her cup of orange juice and Hoshiko put her hand out to reach for the bowl of fish.

Urahara handed it to her without a word, his other hand reaching for the tea. 

“Thanks, dad.” Hoshiko said in the quiet of the breakfast table. She piled on two pieces of fish, putting the bowl down with a heavy clink. Wide-eyed, Urahara looked up, as did the others, all staring at Hoshiko who hadn’t even noticed what she said.

“Hoshi-neechan...” Ururu turned her slow gaze towards the girl, who looked over at her.

“Did you just...” Jinta continued, looking at her, wide-eyed.

“Call Urahara...”

“Dad?!” Urahara’s eyes lit up, “That’s so flattering, aw Hoshiko-chan, I love you too. You can call me dad whenever you want!”

“N-No! I di--I didn’t do that!” Hoshiko, now awake completely out of embarrassment vehemently denied, crossing her arms into an ‘X’ shape. “No!”

Needless to say, Urahara was in a good mood all day.