#s203

[th21w]

[thewertsearch]

KANAYA: As Nice As It Sounds To Move On KANAYA: I Dont Know If I Can Stand Three Of Your Human Years Of More Darkness

We have a Light Player! We have your Light Player, Kanaya! Come on, we can sort something out!

ARADIA: but kanaya you still have important work to finish too! […] KANAYA: What Are You Talking About ARADIA: our race is extinct remember […] ARADIA: your job was to see to the resurrection of our people KANAYA: What Real Hope Is There For That KANAYA: The Orb Was Destroyed KANAYA: I Was Never Able To Duplicate It The Grist Cost Was Astronomical

I've got a workable solution for this one, actually.

Four new Lands means four new Grist Hoards.

Since the kids' four-Player session was supposed to make a universe, we can assume that the Hoards of the original four Lands are sufficient to fulfil that purpose. Therefore, the B2 Hoards are redundant, and Kanaya could potentially dip into them to make another Matriorb.

KANAYA: Doesnt Rose Know KANAYA: Cant You See The Path To Victory On This Matter

Alright, now Hussie's just fucking with me personally.

Like, I know for a fact that the phrase 'path(s) to victory' didn't show up in Worm until 2013, so this really is just a bizarre coincidence. Hussie just keeps making these incredibly on-the-nose references that are, nevertheless, provably accidental.

ROSE: It's hard to say. ROSE: Does the repopulation of your species qualify as victory? ROSE: These things aren't always clear cut. Some outcomes are for your own judgment. ROSE: What outcome would you like the most?

I thought that this would be the catch. Rose can see the path to anyone's personal 'victory', but she has no control over what that victory actually looks like. Plus, since we can't really control our own deepest desires, her targets can't manipulate this ability either.

They simply get a path to whatever they happen to want most, at that exact moment - and based on how Rose is describing things, she doesn't even get to know what that is. She sees the path, but not the goal.

KANAYA: I Would Like To Have The Orb Again And To Keep It Safe This Time KANAYA: And I Guess To Not Be A Total Failure

Aw, Kanaya...

If I had to take a guess, I'd say that what Kanaya wants the most is to revive and protect trollkind, including the trolls standing around her right now.

ROSE: If you follow my advice, I can at least promise you will find yourself in the best position to determine whether that may come to pass.

And Rose.... can't even confirm if there is a path to that.

Unlike Contessa, she doesn't get to know if her path is unachievable in all possible timelines - so she'll never know if her current task is fruitless. Not until the very end.

KANAYA: … ROSE: Can you please come? ROSE: Between the two of us, you with your inexplicably heretofore unmentioned phosphorescence, and I with my nigh-reflective traffic cone orange sun-sari, the meteor should never be too dark.

Come on, Maryam, that was so smooth.

Surely you have to come with us now, if only to hear more Lalonde Pickup Lines.

KARKAT: (sollux, oh my god is it me or is everybody already just fucking hitting on each other left and right? oh god i can't take sweeps of this shit, don't leave me alone here, please don't)

Too late, motherfucker!

[thewertsearch]

ARADIA: this is going to be a wonderful adventure for everyone ARADIA: im a bit jealous honestly! ARADIA: or i would be if i wasnt having such a good time with my death fangirl thing :p KANAYA: So KANAYA: You Arent Coming Then ARADIA: no

Disappointing, but not especially surprising. Aradia's role as Dream Bubble coordinator is extremely important, and she's the only Player we've got who has lived experience with necromancy.

...that being said, she's also the only Player we know can hold back Perfect Jack. Hopefully Dave will learn to do something similar before he catches up.

SOLLUX: yeah, i think i'll hang behind here t0o, if that's 0k with you guys.

I didn't expect this, but it does make a lot of sense. Sollux can finally reconnect with the living Aradia he's been missing ever since she died - and besides, he doesn't actually have a body right now, so he can't physically travel with them.

Well, we've just lost two of the strongest Players on the team. I can't blame them for tapping out, but it does mean we've only got two God Tier Players left. I still think Rose's power can probably turn the remaining Players into a force to be reckoned with - but if we ever lose her, we'll be extremely vulnerable. Come to think of it, Dave probably can't even time-travel out in the Ring, so we'd effectively be down to zero God Tiers, one vampire, and a Terezi.

SOLLUX: i'm just d0ne with this crap, this insane adventure bullshit, it's nothing pers0nal. SOLLUX: i just want to spend time with aa and chill 0ut and catch up with some 0f our dead buddies, is that 0k?

I still can't hold it against Sollux, though. He's been asking to get off this ride since before the session even started.

KANAYA: Maybe I Will Stay Here Too

ABSOLUTLEY FUCKING NOT!

[thewertsearch]

KANAYA: Okay Then What Do We Do ROSE: Nothing yet. ROSE: But reasonably soon, within a certain window, it will be time to leave. ROSE: We will then pilot this meteor as fast as we can make it go in that exact direction. SOLLUX: what's that way? ROSE: Nothing whatsoever. ROSE: As of now, that way lies darkness and uncertainty beyond description. KANAYA: I See KANAYA: Then Perhaps We Should Reserve The Infinite Darkness Plan For The Maybe Column For Now

Rose, you're the funniest girl alive. We all know that that's where Jane's session is going to be, by the time you arrive - but you never miss an opportunity to screw with people, do you?

ROSE: […] if we leave exactly within the designated window and are able to travel at nearly the speed of light, the meteor will trace a route through the Furthest Ring which will topologically resolve as a straight line. ROSE: It will lead us directly to the new session. ROSE: For a brief moment, the sun will be visible from that session. ROSE: And we will be riding the chartreuse coattails of its photons. ARADIA: this is why you all needed an advanced seer! ARADIA: i have become familiar with the ways of the fabric out here but even i couldnt chart a journey that long or complex

The most favorable outcome for the party most assuredly involves arriving in Jane's session. Therefore, Rose doesn't need to navigate the Furthest Ring - she just needs to steer the meteor in the direction her powers tell her.

ROSE: If we were to head right now in the session's true physical direction, it wouldn't be long before we found ourselves traveling in just the opposite direction. ROSE: This is not even to speak of the chronological peculiarities. After traveling some distance, we could discover we were suddenly tailgating our own meteor from several days ago.

The sheer ease of time travel in the Homestuck universe never fails to amuse me. You can even do it accidentally!

ROSE: It takes precision and timing to reach your destination out here, and most importantly, the grace of the gods themselves.

And they're most certainly willing to provide that grace. We still don't really understand the motivations of the Horrorterrors, but all signs point to them wanting Lord English's head on a plate. They won't interfere with the mission.

KARKAT: I'M ALMOST AFRAID TO ASK, HOW LONG IS THIS TRIP GOING TO TAKE? KARKAT: PROBABLY SOME ABSOLUTELY PREPOSTEROUS AMOUNT OF TIME, LIKE THREE LONG MADDENING SWEEPS, RIGHT??? […] ROSE: Don't be ridiculous. It won't take nearly that long. KARKAT: OH ROSE: It'll only take about three years.

Funniest. Girl. Alive.

[thewertsearch]

ROSE: Illumination of the road to victory for all is an asset considerably different from command over the outcomes of decisions made by individuals.

...so, for those unaware, there's a character in Worm known as Contessa, who happens to have one of the most hilariously powerful abilities in the setting: the infamous Path to Victory. Basically, Contessa can specify any arbitrary goal, and her power will inform her of the exact set of actions that will cause her to achieve that goal - and, yes, that's exactly as broken as it sounds.

For example, if her goal was to gain access to an encrypted computer, her power would simply tell her what password she needs to enter to unlock it. Similarly, if her goal was to win a debate with someone, her power could tell her exactly what arguments her opponent would be most receptive to. There aren't really upper limits to this ability, either - even if Contessa's goal is as ambitious as 'legally obtain a quadrillion dollars', or 'take over the world', her power will always be able to find a workable Path - provided there's at least one possible timeline where she can achieve this goal.

Anyway, Rose's new power sounds a hell of a lot like this ability. The only real difference seems to be that, while Contessa can see the Path to any arbitrary goal, Rose can only see a Path to the most 'favorable' outcome for the party.

Even with that restriction, this is still an astoundingly powerful ability. If Rose knows the most optimal actions to take, then she should be practically infallible, even more so than Doc Scratch - assuming, of course, that she's not blinded by the same 'dark pockets' that he was.

... although, that would be a good way to nerf her power down to a reasonable level. My theory is that those dark pockets are parts of Homestuck's plot that Hussie hasn't finished writing, so maybe Rose can only see Paths involving Homestuck lore that Hussie has thought of; in other words, she can't plan around future events that the author hasn't drafted yet.

That's how I think this probably works. If she tries to see, say, a Path to defeating English, then her power will only provide one if Hussie had already ironed out the details of Homestuck's endgame when this panel dropped. If that's still in flux - which, considering Hussie is a very seat-of-your-pants kind of author, is very likely to be the case - then all she'll get is static.

[purestreetspecialists]

[renownusa]

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[yancyscot]

Goldenrod just passed myriad built rigs and snow plows on I-40 West on the way home. All Hail Goldenrod! #pansies #MB #merc #snowcat #mrplow #simpsons #thesimpsons #AMG #contentialtires #mercedes #mercedesbenz #benz #w203 #s203 #donttrythisathome #kroger #snow #snOMG #NCWX #nc #ncSnow #NCsnOMG #snowpacalypse2018 #snowpacalypse #fisheldroppedtheball #wral (at Kroger)