#and next to her is her ill tempered son who has a god complex and hes not got all the whacky makeup or outfits yet. hes just A Guy.

[outlanderalien]

The only Bleach timeline where I'd approve of Mayuri dying instead of Nemu is whereupon becoming a fully realised soul, Nemuri takes over as squad 12 captain and in order to cope with the grief of losing Mayuri, she discovers he had his genetic structure uploaded somewhere and she makes a whole new Mayuri (who goes by Mayu) and he's not his fully realised self yet but a continuation of his former selfs legacy, the goal to perfect artificial soul technology. Thereby ensuring a never-ending cycle of Mayuri + Nemu, then Nemuri + Mayu.

Whenever one dies, the other becomes their full self and gets to work rebuilding the other in a half realised form.

[harry-leroy]

So @ticketybooser left some wonderful comments on my last George Warleggan fic that I posted (thank you for those! ❤️) - and so I got some ideas for continuing it. This doesn’t end in any particular spot, and it’s probably something I’m just going to keep adding onto as I feel like it. Leaving under the cut for length + angst. Also going to tag @forcebros because our boys!

From the door, another figure came into frame. Tall, imposing, he turned the lock and swung open the door. His eyes locked with Dwight’s. Impulsively, Dwight let go of George’s arm. It was Penrose.

“Ah, Dr. Enys,” he began, relieving the other doctor by means of a slight nod. “Word was going around that we might be expecting you here today. Come to call me other names? Or does ‘brute’ settle it for you?”

George stepped back, his shoulders tensing. Dwight had to steel his courage, which wavered in Penrose’s presence.

“I’ve come to take him home,” Dwight swallowed, remembering that his position was the right.

Penrose chuckled a little.

“Take him home?” He shifted on his feet, almost as if marking it as a jest. “Who said you would be allowed to do that?”

“He shouldn’t be here-“ Dwight began.

“As far as our procedures are concerned,” Penrose’s eyes narrowed on Dwight, as if sizing him up. “George will not be allowed to leave until he has received a clearance that his madness has been cured. You’ve been made aware, Dr. Enys, that he is one of the most stubborn patients we have yet come across,”

“So-“ Dwight attempted to interject.

“So the prospect isn’t likely,” Penrose almost sneered.

“So you are aware,” Dwight finished what he had to say, voice calm. “My claim to take him home is not under the basis that his condition has improved. In fact, I think it has become far worse since his arrival,”

“Worse?” Penrose gritted his teeth.

“Have you checked his pulse?” Dwight asked. “I think you’ll find it rather quick. Quicker than I am comfortable with,”

Penrose took a few short steps towards George and took his wrist. He was met with some resistance, though Penrose fought to get his way, nearly taking George off his feet when he pulled the wrist in his direction. There was a pause in the conversation, then a frown on Penrose’s face, followed by the wrist being thrown down at George’s side.

“Oh, so the kind and patient doctor has come to intervene,” Penrose mocked. “This is not a charity house, it’s a hospital,”

“So leaving a man with his pulse that high-“ Dwight began.

“George is not used to visitors. He is forbidden from seeing anyone from outside the hospital under normal circumstances; circumstances which I would like to keep in place,” Penrose explained, his patience running short.

“I’ve been made aware of that,” Dwight said.

Penrose blinked, trying to piece out if Dwight had said what he thought he had said.

“I’ve been told that his uncle and his son have been denied from seeing him on several occasions,” Dwight continued, deciding to then lower his voice. “Now his son has taken ill. He will not eat. George’s son is a growing young boy who needs nourishment,”

“Young boys should stay out of this,” Penrose said with an air of contempt.

“How about his uncle?” Dwight stepped closer to Penrose. “The stiffest man in Cornwall was nearly brought to tears by his nephew’s suffering,”

“For God’s sake, Enys!” Penrose snapped. “George Warleggan is gone from their lives now. He’s incurable. Do you hear me? Incurable,”

Dwight shuddered at the word. This whole time, George had been running his index finger along the windowsill in slow little patterns. They were the patterns on Elizabeth’s jewelry, though no one could guess that but him. He was used to men talking about him like this, and saw no more reason to intervene. That would only bring him more punishment.

“No,” Dwight shook his head, staring at Penrose, incredulous. “No. You’re wrong,”

Penrose scoffed, regaining his temper.

“And what are you going to do?” He challenged. “I’ve said it before, and I’ve said it again. Your lunatic methods go against all proven treatments,”

“And this isn’t lunatic?” Dwight nearly lost track of the conversation from the sheer exhaustion of trying to reason with this man. However, Penrose’s approaching figure, all the more menacing, all the more imposing, brought Dwight back.

“I could have you put away right now if I felt like it,” Penrose’s eyes were monstrous. “Your entire coming here has been nothing but an act of utter madness. If you think you’ve been destined to save George Warleggan of all people from my grasp then you are sorely mistaken!”

He started laughing under his breath, it was short, though enough.

“Pity,” he said. “The mad doctor. Believing he can cure the incurable. How shameful that would be for your charming wife to hear,”

The thought intruded into Dwight’s mind like a slippery worm. He thought of suffering as George had suffered. Aching. Alone. Without agency. He thought of Caroline. She would forget him, surely. She would marry some rich heir. The only child he could give her had died. Who was to say that the rest would not turn out the same? If they were given another? Another husband, a better husband would suit her more. The screaming down the hall brought him back to France. He felt his pulse quicken. He could not be a prisoner again.

“Dr. Enys?” Penrose recalled the man back from a horrid trance. “Don’t tell me that I have cause to act against you now,”

Dwight swallowed, still caught off guard by the doctor’s remark. His methods had been unpopular, yes, but they were far more humane and effective than anything that Penrose would do. No. Caroline loved him. France was behind him. If anything, George needed him now. If he could save one, it would be George Warleggan. Dwight was the sane man in the room. All the same, he was the odd man out.

“I think you’re forgetting who is now the head of the Cornwall Infirmary,” Dwight reminded him, and also himself. “I think you’re forgetting who they decided to turn down to place him there. If there are any issues with George Warleggan’s release into my care, you ought to take it up with him,”

Dwight turned back to George and took him gently by the hand, then began to walk with him towards the door of his room. As they walked, Dwight wrapped one of his arms around George’s shoulders, as if to protect him from Penrose as they went past.

“Come on, George,” Dwight said, his voice soft. “Let us leave this Hell,”

* * *

Valentine now felt as though he were deaf to Ursula’s incessant crying. He stared blankly at the ceiling from his bed, a soreness dragging him deeper into the mattress as he huddled against it for warmth. His chest felt heavy, like it did when his Mama died. No tears came though.

He might have been glad once to have his Papa gone, but that was when Cary was gone too. They were in London for the week, and would return on a Saturday night. There were often little gifts waiting for Valentine the next morning, expensive trinkets from the high street and sometimes the odd toy. In those times, he had his Mama. She was not always as attentive as he wanted her to be, but at least Papa was not there to argue with her. Now, his father was somewhere else entirely, very sick, maybe even dead. Valentine had decided that of all the ways to die, madness would be the worst. Once, it had been childbirth, though Valentine realized that it was not something that he would likely experience, and so madness took over the spot.

This way, the way he was at the moment, didn’t seem a bad way to go. Starvation. Not something he was taught to worry about; his Papa had made that adamant. But now he couldn’t remember the last time he ate anything. He didn’t want to. The thought made him nauseous.

Valentine wondered if this is how Papa sometimes felt after a fit. Lethargic. For a moment, he pictured himself a madman as he lie in the bed, locked in his room to sleep. It sounded cozy, thought Valentine, with a sense of irony that was too much for his tired young brain to analyze. Perhaps he would go back to sleep again, as he had been doing for days on end.

There was a soft knock at the door before he saw Cary enter. He hadn’t been expecting Cary. Normally, it had been Bessie or Lucy with some soup or something of the like, which often went untouched. He was told that Dr. Enys had come once and given him something to soothe him, but it was beyond his memory. Valentine thought for a moment to pretend to be asleep so he wouldn’t be bothered, but the thought didn’t come fast enough.

“What are you doing here?” Valentine asked, face feeling flushed and feverish.

Cary hesitated a moment before speaking.

“I came here to tell you that I spoke with Dr. Enys,” Cary decided to sit down on the side of the bed, causing the weight on the mattress to shift in a funny way. “About your father,”

The pressure on Valentine’s chest felt tighter and heavier than before. He was dead, the boy knew. It would be some gross story that his uncle would coat in sugar as best he could. Passed out naked on a bed of straw, wouldn’t wake up, hadn’t bathed in weeks. There was blood in his hair, but it was from a fight with a doctor some days earlier. His wrists were as red as cranberries. The welts on his back would have been enough to kill him, but George Warleggan didn’t go down easy - that was the image Valentine had spent the past few months imagining, the picture of his hypothetically dead father becoming more complex each time he thought about it. But that wasn’t the news at all.

“He’s coming home,” Cary said, a pained smile crossing his face for a brief moment. Cary was sorely unused to smiling at all, and the news was almost bittersweet, knowing well in his heart that he would have to see his nephew in a wretched condition once again.

“Oh,” Valentine said, almost too tired to react in any other way. The tenacious illness that grabbed him seemed to lessen his excitement. Or perhaps it was the fear of seeing that imaginary dead man walking.

[tanblaque]

What's your theory about what's going on in off?

Warning: Lengthywriting ahead with spoilers.

(I actually wrote a whole articleto answer this, anon! It nearly reached six pages on Word, but I had to cut itdown. And I think I took advantage of this Ask to make an analysis. Do forgiveme. I love this game so much.)

Let’s establish, OFF takes placein a world that is very unnatural and dystopia-like, specters plague the land,occupants breathe smoke, water is made out of liquid plastic and solid plasticmakes out other objects, and  meat is theonly thing edible. Nameless inhabitants with the same dress code live theirlife in fear of the ghosts, and under the tyranny of the Zones’ ruthless and corruptedGuardians, withstanding a never-ending life of work.

You, the Player, control theBatter, an emotionless holy man who seeks to purify the world.

In general: OFF is about a fatherridding all hopes, dreams and affection for his terminally ill son. We play ashis persona, but we are in the view of his child.

It protects the books, but it can’t read them. Maybe we’re all protecting something, but we just don’t know what… or maybe we’re ruining it. - Elsen, Zone 2

Hugo

Hugo is sick. It is hinted in theevents of the Room when he mentions being told by his papa, and his sound clipbeing a cough. He had to take pills, and he wasn’t allowed to go outside. He lookslike a baby, but he probably didn’t grow up well, he also has no trace of hairon his head or eyebrow.

Each time you enter the Room, thesurroundings change. First, a smiley face made out of chairs is present; next afrown with tears, a bunch of computers with floors that hurts, people going toand fro, but you can’t touch them. And then the room itself turned into aprison cell. This is a manifestation of Hugo’s feelings towards his dwellingplace, dark, isolated, frightening, and lonely.

Sundays were probably special tohim in a way, considering most of the calendars noted “Sunday” and the Batterkeeps some Days with himself too as well.

There are six personalities

This game delves into psychology andmany symbolisms, which involves the characters themselves. If you would notice,most characters in the game are male except the Queen and Sucre. This supportsthe idea that all the male characters are manifestations of the father’sdifferent personalities.(I’m referencing the inspirations of this game being, SilentHill 2, where every character faces manifestations of their fears, an ill Mary;Brazil, with Jill and Sam; The Wizard of Oz; Killer7 etc.)

The Batter is dressed in abaseball uniform, manifesting how Hugo viewed his father as an enemy like the antagonist,Ballman, in his comic book. He is a Puppet, representing the Decision, beingstripped off of all emotions and empathy so that he can fulfill his goal topurify. What does purifying mean? To hide. And what are the specters? The truth.The truth that Hugo is dying. This is to achieve peace. Most parents wish tohelp their child continue living life as comfortable as possible despite their incurableillness. Talking to a kid about death is the most difficult thing to do.Valerie and the Judge are the father’s subconscious mind, the Judge being thewise conscience, and Valerie being judgment.

However, the father realized thatthe truth was undeniable. The specters were too many and the only way for themto come to an end was to finally turn the switch off, which belongs to the lifesupport of his vegetable/comatose son.

Dedan is a tall, foul mouthed, andill-tempered man. He is the guardian of Zone 1 which supports all the otherZones with its production of the elements that is vital for their world tocontinue living. He works endlessly to supply the needs and is loyal to theQueen. Dedan represents the father as the provider, who works hard to support hisfamily, and protect them. He has regards for time as hinted in the Room:Chapter 4 and his competencies. Overworking probably took the best of him. Andthus the Batter finishes him.

Japhet is a firebird thatmanifests the father’s other role who gives the pleasures and a future to his family.At some point, Hugo and his mother became engrossed with all the troubles thatthey forgot about what the father gave them, ‘peace’, 'security’,'entertainment’, that being the abandoned Mall, Library, and Amusement Park. Inthe Room: Chapter 4, he was a small humble bird, but then grew into one ofthose god-looking mythological creatures full of pride. His taking over Valerieis a symbol of being held by back his judgment, only to tear it to shreds and toallow his arrogance to get the best of him, lashing out at his people to hurtthem. He knew of what he became and is guilty of it. Thus following afterDedan’s downfall.

But that was me! It was I who made it all like that for you! Are you all so blinded by your pathetic fear of living? - Japhet

Enoch represents the father’shard attempts to feed his family sugar-coated lies, telling them thateverything will be okay, denying the truth of Hugo’s illness, even to the pointof chasing the Batter down and breaking through pipes just to stop him fromtelling the truth.

Zacharie manifests the father’spassive attitude. Careless, and being preoccupied with messing you around, he’sa deceiver. A man who wears a mask and has a heart stuck to his shirt. Sugar isanother representation of Hugo’s mother. And she’s nothing but boss hidden deepin Zone 0, obsessing over the lies. The two are manifestations of the fatherand mother’s relationship. Despite having killed Sugar, Zacharie just simplyremarks, “It’s better that way.”

The Queen

The Queen represents the mother. Beautiful,loving, powerful, and the light of Hugo’s world. She’s the Batter’s parallel,having add-ons of her own, and being much grander as compared to his simpledesign. The battle against her is an important one, as we get hints on whathappened. If you would notice, it seemed similar to a couple fighting, referencedby their dialogue, and the soundtracks played during the chapter, “Woman ofyour Dreams” and “The Meaning of His Tears”. Each word she said hurt him. Notonly was she berating him, she was also fighting to keep the lies but lost.

The Batter’s confrontation with Hugo

Each blow of his bat symbolizedthe father finally telling Hugo of his situation, however, still giving him theassurance that “There will be no more darkness”.

Unfortunately, all these eventshave already happened, and Hugo was just having flashbacks of his life. And we,the Player, spectated. We were only allowed to actually intervene when we weregiven a choice, to side with the Batter, or the Judge.

The final clash with the Judge represents thefather and his conscience. This very moment was beyond Hugo’s reach, and is nolonger a memory, but was actually taking place in the present. The father hadto make a final decision, and you were in his shoes. Pull the switch and thefather ends Hugo’s life, as well as his. Choose either way and it’s nothing butregrets, and a life of loneliness.

OFF did a good job in usingsymbolism in its narrative. It actually nearly covered most topics. Examples arebureaucracy, environmental problems, sickness, family, and imagination butstill not resulting in clichés. It’s bizarre, comedic, yet dark. Simple butstill complex. This game never ceases to fascinate me, truly the best horrorRPG.

But remember, it’s just a theory!Nothing is right or wrong, it’s all up to you. Thanks for reading.

I noticed thiswas pointed out already in @krazehcakes’ post, but I thought the exact same waybefore even reading theories online. Screenshots are property of Panzer’s textwalkthrough.