#info updates

There are multiple ways I could take this into a big plot-twist hook. Both major ideas actually have a lot of insane potential that I could tap into, and I genuinely have no idea which one I want because I always feel like the "better one" is whichever ones I had big brain thoughts about most recently (so, shifting back and forth). Neither of them have the exact ideas pinned down, but that's by design so I can flesh it out here when I'm making actual scenes and stuff. These were mentioned in the intro post, as well. I'll explain them in more detail here.

[Idea A] The protagonist has no memories because they were born just then, as a being sent/created by some special power for a higher purpose.

Basically, in this one, they will be forced to leave at the end once their purpose is fulfilled. After they already made that decision about not wanting to leave, of course. I picture them figuring out and being at the point of tears, not wanting to disappear (or "go home" to some kind of heaven place, either works). They would be despondent and would need to be dragged off kicking and screaming if that's when they ended up being taken away. However, I don't imagine it being that way. Whether it's directly caused by their reaction (giving them time to decide) or by it not being their time yet in the first place, they would be left with that information. After some time, they would end up coming to peace with the fact that they have to go. Their friends would all be there to send them off, either floating up into the sky or turning into dust or something. They're not dead, it's just that they aren't here anymore. Looking down on the world, perhaps.

High potential here for that one Tumblr post I like (found it!) about the mage and the knight, where the mage ends up becoming a god.

[Idea B] The protagonist lost their memories somehow, but has always been a rypur. This one's potential comes from worldbuilding I haven't posted yet, so its segment will be a bit longer due to giving context.

It's pretty much built around that mundane, harsh revelation. They work so hard to figure out what happened, and you can easily tell that, deep down, they're hoping that it's some kind of big deal. There has to be an answer to this, right? Then, the answer boils down to "you're a normal person who's experienced amnesia" and there's nothing they can really do about that. It's really crushing, and in the end they just have to find a place to go. At least this one allows them to see their friends at any point instead of having to leave them all behind.

The main draw of this relates to the main antagonist; I already know I'm gonna reuse the Blue Order from my regular OC lore. In summary, lots of the soldiers they use are straight-up brainwiped and used to be regular people leading their own lives. I've had scenes where they see their old families and recognize them, but the language barrier keeps them from communicating (they no longer remember how to speak their first language). That's usually when it hits them: the panic. The Blue Order hates non-human people and has magic entirely forbidden within their kingdom. Their boss, Dr. Alabaster, has little tolerance for nonsense and will lead humanity to glory. They're all in a cult.

The most forboding place I have ever written is the Memory Ward. It's in the heart of the Blue Order's base, and only select few members are allowed within. Dr. Alabaster knows better than to waste good soldiers on untested operations, so they test all the operations on Cherrish war prisoners. There are empty hallways full of rooms, each populated by rypurs clutching their heads and not knowing what's going on.

Here, the protagonist is one of those test subjects. Not even escaped, just discarded like an old washcloth. That's why they wake up entirely confused, thinking that they're supposed to be a human. Recognizing the human form, but not their own "monster" hands. They're broken apart, and it has more weight to it that they're just some random rypur out of hundreds, having nothing special about them. The one thing that makes them special is that they've chosen to fight back.

Then, as I said above... that empty "now what?" feeling at the end of the hero's journey. They just have to keep on living their life with a big chunk of their past missing. It shouldn't matter, though, because they made so many new friends and have an entire life ahead of them.

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No matter the option, the Blue Order will be involved. For option A, this wouldn't be the first time a higher power sent some kind of being over to "deal with" Dr. Alabaster and all that, making that their purpose. It could also be something unrelated, with the Order just being a major nuisance in the process. I could also ditch both options and go with "isekai'd person tries to figure out a way home," but you can see how that's really boring compared to what I want to do. Speaking of the Blue Order, the rypurs having psychic power and all, the protagonist could be a real menace trying to restore the people's memories and set them free. That's a concept I've used before in my normal OC story, but that could work amazingly here and I'm down to use it.

I'm not deciding on that yet, though. This post was just meant to be information on the protagonist before I made the poll to name them.