#willow mellow

Finally finished this bit of Pathologic fanart I've been working on and off since forever, featuring my own headcanons for many of the character designs.

The basic premise is that, after reading so many opinions about what the "correct ending" was, I decided that the only real way to win at Pathologic is to play the way a child would: so I ignored the main quest for the final day, set my own victory parameters, and got to work.

"Clara never showed up at the Cathedral, leaving the fate of the Town in the hands of her twin sister instead. Armed with a cloak, sturdy military boots and as many provisions as she could carry, she made her way up the Polyhedron, closed her eyes and counted to five.

She waited, patiently, for The Powers that Be to finish their game.

Finally alone, she kneeled in front of the destroyed town and, one by one, she picked up all the dolls and cleaned them from the grime and the mold, the "sand plague", as the children had called it, before stuffing them in the pockets of her jacket and cloak.

Sickness may be the end for any human, but puppets come alive with every new game that is played.

She brought them all back to the Steppe and, after saying one last goodbye to the Town, she walked into the unknown, the whispers of a little gray mouse leading her towards her destination, wondering what kind of new game they could play together.

A happier one, that was for sure."

Something something, "Men struggle in nooses but puppets walk free" or whatever. My last Patho save is Clara standing outside the garden, munching on some stale bread as she waits for the children to leave.