Me: Oh, this game looks cool, I’ll watch a few episodes and see if I like this playthrough.
Me, 5 episodes later: I’m just going to watch this other playthrough to see the other choices.
Me, after watching everything I could about the game: This was perhaps, in some manner or form, something akin to a mistake.
Sam takes up work as a professional (wildlife) photographer and travels around the world, hiking and protecting endangered species and protests for both animal and human rights alike. She comes back to visit her friends every once in a while and volunteers at the animal shelters and rehab centers whilst staying at Chris and Ashley’s.
Chris and Ashley moved in together and got married, a nice quiet (probably nerdy-themed) wedding with all the crew invited. They named their firstborn son Joshua and their daughter Hannah (middle name Beth).
Sam fell in love with the kids and became Joshua and Hannah’s godmother, often sending them souvenirs and postcards of her journey.
Chris got a job as a simple IT technician, makes decent salary and is pretty happy with his job. Ashley decided to go back to college after giving birth to the kids to pick back up her dreams of becoming a screenwriter/movie producer.
Matt and Jess got together and moved in to a nice little house about a 10 minute drive away from Chris and Ashley.
Matt is now a professional football player and is very respected/well-known. Jess never went to his games due to her agoraphobia, but she always watched him play from the TV and cheer/smile/cook some nice meal to celebrate his victories once he got home. Matt would always end the game by blowing a kiss for her on screen as a dedication.
Jess became an artist after years of art therapy had paid off. She sold home-made jewellery and intricate crafts, made beautiful and colourful abstract sculptures, painted gorgeous scenery and even had her own art exhibition after much encouragement from Matt and her friends.
Mike joined the army and became a dog trainer for their forces, a job which he loved. After he was discharged, he got his own apartment and worked as a dog trainer with several of his own puppies.
Emily went back to her studies and got a doctor’s degree, and is now working towards her post-doctor whilst also being the best (and most feared) professor in a well-respected university.
They all meet up at Chris and Ashley’s backyard every month for BBQ and beer and catch up with each other. Matt would play ball with Joshua as he fawned over his epic touchdown stories, Em and Ashley would patiently help Hannah with her homework together whilst bonding over smalltalk about how tiresome kids are, Sam told Jess stories from her travels and Jess would take inspiration from it for her art, Chris and Mike would do the white-dad and drink beer whilst manning the BBQ.
Every year, on the anniversary of the Washington’s death/disappearance, they would honour the memory of their friends by going somewhere for holiday and have a good time. Chris, especially, would make sure that little Joshua and Hannah were the happiest each year on this day.
sam never leaves josh and mike in the mines – she insists on staying with them and ensuring they all come back in one piece. when things go wrong and wendigo starts to drag josh away, the thought of abandoning her friend doesn’t even cross her mind. she succesfuly distracts it and, with help of mike and his shotgun, they all manage to get away, ultimately surviving events of the game together with everyone else.
theluminouscosmos 