#samulation

Alive Sydney AUs are always interesting to think about but a common pitfall I see people take is just not thinking about the full extend of what changes occur and the circumstances surrounding the change. I think we need to first figure out when the timeline splits for our hypothetical scenario. Are we following a timeline in which Sydney just didn't go with the rest of the group to Lake Emma? Are we following a scenario in which Mr. Bronson didn't die the way he did and thus Sydney didn't get possessed by the Samulation? Or is it that in this timeline Mr. Bronson never accidentally killed Sam Ayers? And thus he was never possessed? Cause I think that this will end up greatly impacting how Sydney turns out.

Cause if we're going under the idea that everything up until the Lake Emma incident is the same then I do not see things going well at all for Sydney. It's noted that ever since his father died and during the months leading up to his own death that Sydney would switch between his typical normal self and extreme aggression — implied to be due to the Samulation. If this kept up through his teenage years then I could see Sydney getting into serious trouble because of this. He was said to have caused some physical injuries to his friends during this time period by getting too violent with them when playing around and getting into these aggressive episodes. If this is like Chase's experience with the Samulation then I expect this to end up being thought of as a mental health issue which won't end up getting addressed due to its paranormal origin. And if that happens I wonder if the Samulation's hold on Sydney would worsen and if his aggression and violent tendencies would increase in severity and frequency. And if that happens then I fully expect it to cause issues for Sydney. Flynn's Samulation-induced hallucination at the end of his route is probably the closest thing we have seen to what Sydney would go through if he didn't die then, but even that was based on Flynn's own personal thoughts on what Sydney was like and how he'd turn out.

If we're saying that Mr. Bronson doesn't die on that hunting trip and Sydney never gets possessed then I think that this timeline is more akin to what a lot of Alive Sydney AUs depict, with a generally happier and more healthy dynamic between the group. I think that there is a solid chance that this timeline's Sydney is a goofy boyfailure, yes. Like a Reyn Xenoblade-esque kind of guy. A rambunctious, fun-loving, boyfailure who loves wrestling, ninjas, pirates, who hates his dad and maybe possibly gets into Situations with Flynn and Leo depending on the AU and headcanon about Sydney. I don't think he'll be as happy and as healthy as some depict him, especially with how his father was, but I do think he'd probably be better off than if he was possessed.

Now that last possibility is arguably the most interesting. What happens if Mr. Bronson never accidentally kills Sam? If that happens then it is likely, if not guaranteed, that Mr. Bronson doesn't get possessed by the Samulation. And if that's the case then maybe he doesn't turn out to be such a shitty father. And if what you say about Sydney's interests are true, then would Sydney in this timeline still enjoy those things? Would Sydney even exist at all in this timeline? Cause Sam's death strained Mr. Bronson and Janice's relationship and is part of the reason they split so maybe in this timeline Mr. Bronson and Janice never break up and so Mr. Bronson and Eliza wouldn't get together and have Sydney.

vc doodles while rambling on an on about waahtver

I'm going to hold off on going too in-depth with Sam cause I really want to wait until TSR has a bit more content in all of its routes, just so I can really take a look at his whole character arc across the VN. I'm also not caught up with the most recent updates, so I'm not the most familiar with where his character stands currently in Nik's route (which the past few updates has been focused on from what I've heard). Spoilers for both The Smoke Room and Echo.

Samuel Ayers I find very interesting. Compared to Chase or Cameron—both of whom express a dislike of religion and a distaste for letting it influence how they live their lives— Sam really does live and die by his beliefs. There are so many times where we hear Sam's monologue in which he talks down to himself as if he himself is "tarnished" or "sinful". I do think part of this is a result from him murdering Jack in the mines as one of the first things he convinces himself of is that Satan is with him in the mines and is ready to drag him to hell for killing the guy. Now, I'm not religious nor am I familiar with the Christian God so I cannot and will not comment on the objectiveness of Sam's views but it's clear that Sam sees the Christian God as something to be feared. It creates an interesting dynamic in which Sam often grapples with his actions and sexuality and other things deemed "sinful" while also being a very self-serving person. His motivations throughout TSR aren't tied to anyone but himself, and what he agrees to in every route is ultimately focused on getting himself far away from Echo. That's the whole reason he went into sex work in the first place, to get money to head further westward (after failing in the mines). And with being gay being heavily stigmatized and outright dangerous, especially in a very Christian area, it adds yet another layer of self-loathing to Sam. Though in terms of sexuality, he doesn't seem to dislike himself due to his same-sex attraction but rather due to his work. I don't ever remember him being ashamed of being into men or anything, though he often refers to himself "whore" in a derogatory way. Overall, in terms of religion, Sam seems so wary towards his own beliefs and the idea of a God. With him both wanting to achieve his own happiness and goals but being terrified—if not outright convinced—that what awaits him is eternal damnation.

Sort of related to that is the way Sam almost justifies the way he seems to be trapped in Echo as if it is something he deserves. He desperately wants to get the hell away from Echo and his old life, to the point of being openly bitter and melancholic when thinking about the town and his life up to that point, and yet he really does seem to think that it is just how things are meant to be for him. It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy when taking Echo into consideration. In Echo's timeline, he doesn't leave the town and dies there slowly and painfully. And then the Samulation lives on in Echo for decades after that, continuing the town's cyclical nature. I think that this is in part due to Sam's aforementioned views on himself in the context of his religious beliefs. With how much he sees himself as "sinful" it makes sense that he'd justify the shitty things that happen to him as part of some "divine punishment". Speaking of the Samulation. I think it's a pretty good look into Sam's bitterness towards the world and the situation he finds himself in. Cause it does reflect a lot of Sam's personality—his sarcastic humor, his aloofness, the bitterness I mentioned—but it lacks a lot of what makes Sam nuanced. Sam is all those things, yes, but he is also rather accommodating and agreeable as well. Sam has this almost naive outlook and tends to romanticize things he hopes for. That's part of why he fell for Jack's scheme so easily and so quickly. But the Samulation lacks that. It has his memories, but it isn't very multi-faceted. This part is more of a theory than an analysis but I think it manifested like that due to the circumstances of Sam's death: Mangled and crushed under the weight of Mr. Bronson's van in a town that he hates. What a shitty way to die. If somehow, through the supernatural nature of the town, a simulation of Sam managed to live on after his death, it makes the most sense to me that it would mostly take the form of his mind in his last moments. All of the other aspects of Sam's personality wouldn't be present while he dies in such an agonizing way, but his anger and bitterness towards the world—towards Echo—probably would. Again though, just an idea. It isn't confirmed. I just wondered why the Samulation was both so similar to Sam yet much more aggressive and spiteful than the Sam we see. That could be why.

They can be from any genre of any media (movies, shows, books, comics, games, etc.) (OCs count, too, if you like). All that matters is that they are somehow plant-coded, and you like them!

Artemis and demeter from hades are good picks though they are more associated with plants instead of being plants

I cant think of like any more so ima use this time instead to shout out an oc/dnd charecter i had made for my friend who is making theyre own system for ttrpgs designed to be as beginner friendly as possible, my charecter was a plant person (named botnoids) who in the story got kidnapped for a freakishly circus type deal named Ruta

Id go further into detail but idk if any of my game mates are on tumblr