Rain World Watcher - Blog Posts
Hello it is I, the Popcorn enjoyer anon, no longer anon because like.. I'm not really hiding anything and I have no reason to be anxious on tumblr of all places. I've got a question about the wholeness of Dancing. Since she doesn't splinter off into multiple timelines and is a Whole Being, what happens if she dies from something? Would she still get the information from the future she technically hadn't lived through yet?
Hello there #1 Popcorn fan!!! No need to hide we all chill here
[Small spoiler warning to the Watcher DLC? AU sillytalk based on in-game mechanics, NOT canon lore]
What I was thinking is that instead of all of Dancing's memories traveling through time, time literally fully rewinds in the case of her dying. For normal creatures, dying would go like this, for reference:
Both of those realities and timelines exist, it depends who's perspective we're watching them through right now. That's why Ringing's children are dead - we are watching the one branch where that was the case from her perspective.
I imagined Dancing to be kind of a "representant" or "ambassador of the world" itself, she's somewhat of a higher point of reference, a guardian of said spacetime (which she'd become during the equivalent of her in-game plotline in RoF) working alongside it. Spacetime which she doesn't really want to meddle with if it's not needed and there isn't anything endangering the Cycle (put a pin in that :-) ).
Time would also probably rewind to the last time she slept, for the sake of consistency with the hibernation respawn mechanic and the whole "sleep is like a demo version of death" type of deal.
So any realities that managed to branch off during that period of time (a short one as well, a Slugcat can't go long without some rest once in a while) would also be erased and turned back to the time of Dancing's last nap she took somewhere in time, somewhere in space, but with no memories being sent back in time, rather seamlessly. Events in all those realities would also go how they did the first time, unless Dancing was one involved with them and chose to do something differently this time. But that's something she doesn't really want to do (get it? She's the Watcher. The one who watches [absolute cinema]).
Reminder that this AU has a discord server for anyone interested in similar rambles, added here so it doesn't get lost under the cut ->(CLICK)
[FIRST DLC ENDING SPOILERS BELOW - Bonus doodle and additional Dancing lore]
Bonus doodle for that train of thought, because after all her fun adventures with the mischevious Echo child, she found a place to call home in Ancient Urban, where there's not much to worry about in the department of "things that could kill me". Honestly after years of wandering dozens of dimensions - she deserves that break.
Ancient-style anthro slugcats part 8, Watcher!!
The whole world laying on your shoulders
forgot to add - her ancient-adjacent name is "Ten Dancing Ripples, Singular Shadow"
PART 1 - ARTIFICER
PART 2 - GOURMAND
PART 3 - RIVULET
PART 4 -HUNTER
PART 5 - SPEARMASTER
PART 6 - ENOT
PART 7 - SAINT
PART 8 - WATCHER (YOU ARE HERE)
PART 9 - MONK
PART 10 - SURVIVOR
Check out #rwrof au tag for more content with those designs
More assorted maps! I'm getting addicted to making these!
I have done it, I have figured out The Watcher’s theme, and how it it fits with the rest of rain world (I will try to make this short sorry if I ramble)
ALSO SPOILERS (kind of)
Basegame
To me rain world is one of those games that can only truly be understood by playing it yourself, sure, you can read the wiki and watch the very good video essays about it, you can know the story, but you won’t Get It, because playing rain world? Dying over and over again? Exploring the world until you know it like the back of your hand? Dying in stupid ways? Some that aren’t even your fault? Getting so frustrated you don’t touch the game for weeks? That’s the Cycle, that’s why The Ancients decided to dip out, they weren’t just arrogant monks obsessed with death, they were tired, and frustrated, and just done with it, and as a player you experience that, the only out, the only rest, is to ascend, nothing else really matters.
Downpour
Downpour really means a lot to me because it takes what the basegame says, and goes against it, downpour is about how insignificant, small, sentimental things hold incredible meaning, eight slugcats, walking the same abandoned dying word, only separated by a literally incomprehensible time between them, the only ones who share a time period can’t meet again until their journeys have completely transformed them, Survivor and Monk go from pups, to a parent and a capable and independent adventurer respectably.
The slugcats are small, irrelevant, insignificant creatures, Five Pebbles says as much, and yet they shape and change the world around then in small but significant ways, for better or worse, Spearmaster, delivering the pearl that causes 5P complete isolation from his family, as well as allowing Moon to say a final goodbye, (also there is the shelter sign he draws in underhag (I think) and it just warms my heart), Artificer completely destroying the scavenger civilisation beyond repair, I even believe scavengers are so immediately hostile to Hunter, another red slugcat, Gourmand, that opens the gate to allow every lost slugcat a way back home, Rivulet, The Timeline Fixer.
I could go on but I’m really trying not to, where the rain world basegame is about how life is all about our path towards death, and how this is a mercy, peace, downpour is about how life, for as messy and small, has meaning, value, people who care.
The Watcher (finally, really sorry for the ramble)
Also warning, watcher is the only one of these I haven’t played, downpour is destroying me :,)
Anyways.
While basegame is about the peacefulness of death, and downpour is about how all life has inherited value, watcher is about how life is just plain old beautiful.
The world is wide, amazing, mysterious, and when you think you just began ti underhand it, something new comes (and kills you, taking away hours of progress, but ANYWAY-)
For all the complains I have heard about the new dlc, one thing that is a constant is just how stoning the new maps are, the new music is.
Watcher as a slugcat with just has one goal in mind, survive, and to do that, they are just chilling warping around the world with their new bestie.
The Best Echo Ever and Watcher are parallels, they both reject ascension in favour of exploring the world, accepting a Cycle of never ending death and resurrection, in favour of the unknown Void, not understanding why others see that as the better option, and for thought they were left behind.
So now, alone together, they just sit back and watch it all pass by, with jokes and introspection, acceptance of life as it is, with all that it has to offer, both good and bad.
There is also a bit about how the rejection of death is equally as damaging as the search for self destruction, points at the whole rot mess that’s going on, BUT again, I do not have the dlc, so I haven’t have the time to see all that’s going on over there.
That will be all, hope I made sense I didn’t ramble too much, I can’t help myself when it is about my favourite game about depression and existentialism :)
(SPOILERS FOR THE WATCHER ENDING) Its insane that you wrote all of that in just one ask to a random tumblr user because this is some banger thoughts and interpretations I really, really like your take on Downpour and it helped me come to the conclusion why I like that DLC so much and put it into words. Funnily enough, I am a player that lowkey personally disagrees with what the base game had to say about ascension. As much as I understand the motive of peacefulness of death 100%, there is something beautiful in the struggle and our own personal cycles. Basically I value the way more than the ending, and I think Downpour and how the decisions of such small scugs, haha, echo through the entire world with time is an amazing thing to think about. Though my thoughts on the Watcher were a tad different, mostly because the ending I got (SPOILERS) was the toys one - where the child Echo, the OAOA comes to a conclusion of what was binding them to the world - the inability to accept the next step, fearing "walking thorugh the white door" if I remember well. And with that, paired with the Watcher's opening cutscene (in which the OST "Childhood's end" plays) + the toyroom in the ending I started seeing this DLC as one about childhood, from two perspectives. One of an Echo desperately clinging to theirs, a time in their life that they don't want to leave behind, literally playing hide and seek with their slugcat friend in their little make-believesque world and of a slugcat who's childhood got ripped away, forcing them to just stall and observe everything that comes and goes their way in the "adulthood" they were never ready for, one that shouldn't have come so fast. Ironically enough, I think that the DLC really doesn't fit it's name - it puts the Watcher in the role of a protagonist, the most influencial thing in the worlds they traverse through, making them finally have an impact, make decisions that matter and shape the world all around. And not even in a powertrip-like sense, just in a sense of finding joy and peace in something so trivial like adventuring through countless make-believe worlds... or playing with toys. I really like the toys ending, dilly dally and have fun my scug
I liked the feeling of being insignificant in Rain World, this take on the Watcher kinda flips it on its head, but its okay in a way. Just relying this contrast of accepting the next step in life when you're ready for it and regaining the lost feeling of importance, control and the plain, simple ability to have fun.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!!
A memory of a childhood's end rippling back into your head
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More of that headcanon because I like having fun lalalala
RAIN WORLD WATCHER SPOILERS
RAIN WORLD WATCHER SPOILERS
born from this conversation with @end-orfino
Literally the two endings
Original:
RAIN WORLD THE WATCHER OPENING CUTSCENE SPOILERS (?)
Some people noticed that the other slugpup from the opening is a really similar color to Gourmand and as much as we know that's not him, I still like that headcanon
Imagine your sister gets lost between dimensions damn
If any of you took a good look at my slugcat designs you can notice that all of the outer expanse fellas (Gourm, Surv and Monk) are way more slug than cat - having the funky frills, longer "whiskers" (except surv whatev). I actually designed Watcher a day before the DLC came out because I couldn't wait, so it was super fun to see the opening cutscene be in what seemed like that region - would fit the look I have for her and she shares the same cape design element as Monk!
Would also fit this silly vision I had here if they were all somehow related lmao, then Watcher would be the honorary member of the "dot on the left cheek" outer expanse gang
I finished the Watcher, my critisism of the DLC from the first rant still stands but visually and atmosphere-wise... Yeah I have no control over my fixation so I might make some fanart of her
RAIN WORLD THE WATCHER SPOILERS + OPINION/FIRST IMPRESSIONS/RANT AHEAD
I am so disappointed its unreal
I LOVED the beginning and the build-up with the world slowly rotting away??? Seeing locations blocked off, fruit and creatures getting rotten with time , the echo being playful was so, so great and I had the time of my life...
Until the dimension hopping happened.
My god, I am so utterly confused, lost, left with no hints what-so-ever. The new locations are a visual feast (BIG respect to everyone who stood behind the enviromental design and the art itself, its all so gorgeous) but they feel so empty, lifeless and maze-like in a really bad way. Rain World was all about getting lost and feeling small, but those areas don't make me curious to explore them, there's nothing to explore except finding another rift and they just feel overwhelming.
They just don't feel rainworldy at all to me gameplaywise. And don't get me wrong, I'm super fine with making changes to formulas, heck, Downpour DLC is my favourite part of this game because it has so many unique mechanics to offer which were so different from the base game. I personaly don't feel like the world is alive, the new creatures look amazing but I do not see them interact with me or each other in the same way as they did in the past. They feel more like standalone obstacles which was rarely the case before. Most of the rooms are so empty, loop endlessly, I get no hints of where to go or what to look for and stumble upon things either because of blind luck or because my friend (who I was playing with at the same time) went a different path and by pure chance it was the correct one. If I haven't had that outside info, I would be stuck going in circles in a dimension four worlds away from the random one with the correct tower where the echo was waiting for me. I don't know if I'm missing something
I love the new camouflage skill but it was useful only in the beginning, I rarely used it in the dimension hopping part, only in really dire situations which happened rarely. My biggest enemy was parkouring to places only to find out they were dead ends
I'm on level two of the new karma, around 6 hours in and slugchat, help my doomed soul I am not having fun. I'd love to see something that would go further with the idea of the world rotting away but I feel so, so disconnected from whats going on
Super curious about how it could end and what the echo's deal even is, I'm just lowkey scared that it will be as disappointing as the section of the game I'm dealing with right now.
oh princessa what did they do to you /j
was anyone going to mention this one asset having blue