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Lone Goat posted:Didn't Bonesaw do something like this to Grue, where he was all unraveled and like his nerve endings were all over a kitchen or something? in Worm?
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Nov 28, 2018 07:03
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tithin posted:Prac guide: I love the PracGuide chapters that are just 90% Cat bullshitting while someone insults her for being such an utter idiot. Actually maybe every chapter where characters are talking at each other rather than things happening.
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Nov 28, 2018 07:07
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I'm very, very much hoping that the end of this PGtE chapter is the start of Akua's sudden, but inevitable betrayal.
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Nov 28, 2018 07:51
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tithin posted:Prac guide: Yes! It's like 100 chapters of banter all exploding at once.
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Nov 28, 2018 08:39
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Man, I caught some real Tyrant shades from her that entire chapter, just, the same level of insanity.
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Nov 28, 2018 08:57
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tithin posted:Man, I caught some real Tyrant shades from her that entire chapter, just, the same level of insanity. Absolutely magnificent, from start to finish.
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Nov 28, 2018 13:13
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NinjaDebugger posted:Absolutely magnificent, from start to finish. ”Tools wear no crowns.” “Clearly you’ve never met Cordelia.” 
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Nov 28, 2018 17:40
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tithin posted:She did. It was the basis of his second awakening. I feel like the biggest sign that Bonesaw still isn't exactly sane is that, if she was, there's no way she could possibly live with herself. I mean, just imagine having the memory of having mutilated countless people like that. Plorkyeran posted:I love the PracGuide chapters that are just 90% Cat bullshitting while someone insults her for being such an utter idiot. I feel like that dynamic of that chapter was Rumena > Cat >>>> Sve Noc (who was totally clowned on). Rumena understood what Cat was doing and wasn't having it, but Sve Noc is a dumbass who seems to have turned into a monologue golem over thousands of years and couldn't deal with Cat not acting "appropriately". blastron posted:I'm very, very much hoping that the end of this PGtE chapter is the start of Akua's sudden, but inevitable betrayal. I'm very much hoping that her inevitable betrayal fails, largely because Cat has specifically made contingencies on the assumption it would happen (that have not been revealed to the reader), and it would be too dumb for her to get played that hard when it's something that is so obviously going to happen. The other interesting option would be her not being betrayed at all, though I find that deeply unlikely.
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Nov 28, 2018 22:42
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Ytlaya posted:
The most strange and shocking thing that could happen is that all of Catherine's planning was pointless because Akua has actually grown to like hanging out with the crew and really is their friend
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Nov 29, 2018 00:25
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SerCypher posted:The most strange and shocking thing that could happen is that all of Catherine's planning was pointless because Akua has actually grown to like hanging out with the crew and really is their friend I feel like Akua has internalized Praesi culture so much that, to her, there's no conflict between "be friends with people" and "betray them." Cat has also gotten her to admit under oath that she's still thinking of ways to potential turn things in her favor in the future.
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Nov 29, 2018 03:57
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SerCypher posted:The most strange and shocking thing that could happen is that all of Catherine's planning was pointless because Akua has actually grown to like hanging out with the crew and really is their friend Wednesday's Prac Guide *extremely Shao Kahn voice* Flawless Victory! Friendship! ...Friendship???
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Nov 29, 2018 04:08
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Ytlaya posted:I feel like Akua has internalized Praesi culture so much that, to her, there's no conflict between "be friends with people" and "betray them." Cat has also gotten her to admit under oath that she's still thinking of ways to potential turn things in her favor in the future. Yeah, wasn't one of their early post-mantle discussions Akua trying to explicitly convey to Cat that the reason for their disconnect was because she'd been raised from birth to compartmentalize friendship and business, and Cat made no distinction between the two? Also yeah, I'm not sure; for some reason I get the feeling that Akua is still acting in Cat's best interests, although I can't put my finger on why. I think it's partially because in their recent name-amnesia fueled interrogation session she explicitly stated her short-term goals to be figuring out a way to make friends if they could, or start working on an escape hatch if she couldn't find a way in. I'm just worried that eventually (or maybe right now) Cat will catch the idiot ball from Malicia and start actually trusting her.
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Nov 29, 2018 04:11
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Ytlaya posted:I feel like Akua has internalized Praesi culture so much that, to her, there's no conflict between "be friends with people" and "betray them." Cat has also gotten her to admit under oath that she's still thinking of ways to potential turn things in her favor in the future. I thought that was just trying to figure out a way to have thief not kill her after this is all over. To me that means she's thinking of seeing this through and helping everyone until the end. Otherwise she wouldn't give a poo poo because if she betrays them then either she succeeds or they destroy her soul
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Nov 29, 2018 08:54
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Omi no Kami posted:Yeah, wasn't one of their early post-mantle discussions Akua trying to explicitly convey to Cat that the reason for their disconnect was because she'd been raised from birth to compartmentalize friendship and business, and Cat made no distinction between the two? Akua is definitely trying to be genuinely helpful to Cat, because doing so benefits her. As long as she doesn't have a clear plan for gaining freedom, helping Cat (both to make "the person who defeated her" stronger, and to preserve her own existence) is the optimal thing to do. It kinda goes back to the fact that, for a Praesi weirdo like Akua, there is no conflict between "I enjoy being around these people and genuinely want to help Cat achieve her goals" and "I also want to betray/defeat Cat and elevate my own position." edit: This isn't to say that I necessarily think Akua genuinely enjoys helping and being around Cat/the Woe; just that there's no inherent conflict between her feeling this way and still wanting to betray Cat. I feel like there's no real good way for Akua to escape through her own machinations, since I seriously doubt Cat will be tricked into thinking "she's changed," and Cat's plan is basically foolproof given everything we know. Akua could escape through some magical nonsense, but that would be kind of lame from the reader's standpoint. The most likely way of Akua escaping, in my opinion, is for her to take advantage of some circumstance that causes Cat's "normal" control over Winter to be affected or lapse (like, for example, recent events). Ytlaya fucked around with this message at 21:22 on Nov 29, 2018 |
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Nov 29, 2018 21:18
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I think Cat and Akua are going to fuse their two broken souls into a single entity and become a new two-faced goddess to replace Sve Noc. The only question is if they will peacefully co-exist or if one of them will dominate the other like in Sve’s case.
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Nov 29, 2018 21:35
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Akua is going to decide that the Power of Friendship is supreme and aggressively befriend everyone in existence regardless of the cost.
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Nov 30, 2018 00:52
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Plorkyeran posted:Akua is going to decide that the Power of Friendship is supreme and aggressively befriend everyone in existence regardless of the cost. This is the sequel serial and it's just that one chapter where she's trying to pretend to be Cat only five hundred thousand words long
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Nov 30, 2018 03:59
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I'd read the poo poo out of that
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Nov 30, 2018 04:53
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Pratical Guide “I consider myself something of a theologian,” she said. “And yet I still lack the answer to one question. Perhaps you can answer it for me. Which matters most, Catherine, when it comes to doing good – the conviction or the act?” ... “But I am,” she smiled. “I shall be, Catherine, the most terrifyingly heroic woman in the history of my kind. And in the end, together we will learn the answer to my question.” ... “They won’t take you in,” I said. “You have to know that. You can’t fake being a good person.” “I have learned much from you, darling one,” Akua Sahelian smiled. “I may fail, true. In my hour of judgement I may – most likely will – be unmade and cast into the deepest burning pits. But until then? Oh, what a glorious ride it will be.” She spun away from me, presence parting in full. “Now, my dear Catherine,” Diabolist said, and there was joyous laughter in her voice. “Shall we save some innocents?” GlassElephant fucked around with this message at 06:28 on Nov 30, 2018 |
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Nov 30, 2018 06:26
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I get the impression that Akua isn't suddenly a good person, but rather just wants to try out a different narrative role, since the stereotypical villainous one is a dead-end and she's basically already gone down that path. This means that she'll likely be a reliable ally for the foreseeable future, even if she's still not a "good person." But then again, most of the Woe are pretty terrible people; I think Thief is the only one who would even give a gently caress about killing random innocent people. Like, if it were part of some experiment I doubt Masego would care about sacrificing a city full of people, and Archer (and like Hakram as well) are just kind of ambivalent. I'm not sure how Catherine staying mortal will work.
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Nov 30, 2018 07:02
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GlassElephant posted:Pratical Guide 
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Nov 30, 2018 07:39
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GlassElephant posted:Pratical Guide I love her so much my insane
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Nov 30, 2018 07:49
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Ytlaya posted:I get the impression that Akua isn't suddenly a good person, but rather just wants to try out a different narrative role, since the stereotypical villainous one is a dead-end and she's basically already gone down that path. This means that she'll likely be a reliable ally for the foreseeable future, even if she's still not a "good person." But then again, most of the Woe are pretty terrible people; I think Thief is the only one who would even give a gently caress about killing random innocent people. Like, if it were part of some experiment I doubt Masego would care about sacrificing a city full of people, and Archer (and like Hakram as well) are just kind of ambivalent. Yeah, I thought she was pretty explicitly announcing herself as a comically evil anti-hero who will sacrifice a city of innocents for the Greater Good rather than for personal power (but it'll happen to power her up in the process). This doesn't necessarily mean that she'll be an ally though, since that depends on what sort of role Cat ends up in. It seems likely that Cat will end up Below-aligned in some way once this all settles, which could make Akua an actual enemy. As much as I love Akua I hope she doesn't end up as the main antagonist for another book.
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Nov 30, 2018 08:10
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so i guess everyone in callow is going to think catherine is dead on account of the wild hunt not feeling a connection to her anymore. also probably the wild hunt is going to do some dumb poo poo
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Nov 30, 2018 13:53
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Personally, I think the obvious set-up of abdicating both Night and Winter to the “good” Sve Noc sister is a boring cop out and am disappointed that is the obvious direction where this storyline is heading. Also, the power up blue-balling is getting repetitive and uncreative. End of Book 3 - Cat gets inches away from claiming a new Name that has been built up for the entire book, only to have that Change get side-swiped at the last second. Now, end of Book 4, Cat is inches away from becoming a God and then gets side-swiped again. At least we’ll (hopefully) see her get a Name again, because I did always prefer Name shenanigans to Mantle shenanigans.
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Nov 30, 2018 17:18
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shes going to get the name Black Knight and lose her loving mind
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Nov 30, 2018 17:58
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It wouldn't make for a good story, but for comedic purposes it would make my day if somehow Cat got saddled with the name of the white knight. It's (not really, but very technically) possible, since she disagrees with Black on a lot of stuff, and she'd be terrible at playing a heroic name. Best of all, though, Akua would be way better at pretending to be good, and show her up at every opportunity.
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Dec 1, 2018 03:42
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Omi no Kami posted:It wouldn't make for a good story, but for comedic purposes it would make my day if somehow Cat got saddled with the name of the white knight. It's (not really, but very technically) possible, since she disagrees with Black on a lot of stuff, and she'd be terrible at playing a heroic name. Best of all, though, Akua would be way better at pretending to be good, and show her up at every opportunity. I'm pretty certain that the White Knight is already in play and that Black+Calamity faced him recently (noting how he wasn't the correct black knight for this white knight to face). Been a while since I read that chapter though, so I might be misremembering. I think we have a few Wandering Inn patrons in this thread.  That seemed like a lot of comments for a normal update post compared to the usual 10-20. I'm curious but not 5$ curious - Did anything special get asked or discussed? 
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Dec 1, 2018 04:20
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Somebody posted a string of gibberish and then replied to themselves 172 times. It was probably a bot.
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Dec 1, 2018 04:30
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Lamquin posted:I'm pretty certain that the White Knight is already in play and that Black+Calamity faced him recently (noting how he wasn't the correct black knight for this white knight to face). Been a while since I read that chapter though, so I might be misremembering. Yeah, there's no way that's happening for real, but the idea makes me giggle- I mainly like it because it'd be a really, really effective way for Akua's embracing the power of friendship and genuinely trying her best to do good to still come off as maximally annoying as possible for Cat.
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Dec 1, 2018 05:04
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I finished that chapter ... yesterday? And you're mostly accurate Black realises he isn't the Black Knight scheduled for a show down with the white knight, and then establishes that he likely has less than two years to live. The following is from subsequent chapters I've not re-read yet. Black basically forces himself into a pattern of three in order to slay the white knight, in spite of the fact that he's established that he's not *the* black knight for that scenario, and from memory he *wins* the pattern of three, but in doing so the choir that the white knight represents basically smack him the gently caress down, and because he's too injured he's not able to help Sabah when she gets trapped in the Champion's domain, and she dies. I cannot remember if the white knight dies, but certainly after that we've not seen him again since.
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Dec 1, 2018 06:21
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Completely unrelated to anything recent, but I'm genuinely curious how in the hell the fight between Ranger and the Summer Queen transpired. Like, how in the hell could Ranger have dealt with the Summer Queen just incinerating everything? I guess she might have some other dangerous aspects or something (we know one is Learn, that apparently resulted in her becoming some sort of fighting savant after having it for such a long life). Apparently the Summer Queen came out better in the exchange, with Ranger being injured badly enough that she needed to recover, but I'm still curious how she put up a fight in the first place. I'd also be curious to see how a Ranger/Saint of Swords fight would go. I imagine Ranger would win, but I'm surprised that fight apparently hasn't occurred yet (or at least occurred in a way that resulted in one of them dying). Seems like Ranger would want to seek out the other uber-badass melee fighter. Silynt posted:Personally, I think the obvious set-up of abdicating both Night and Winter to the “good” Sve Noc sister is a boring cop out and am disappointed that is the obvious direction where this storyline is heading. Also, the power up blue-balling is getting repetitive and uncreative. End of Book 3 - Cat gets inches away from claiming a new Name that has been built up for the entire book, only to have that Change get side-swiped at the last second. Now, end of Book 4, Cat is inches away from becoming a God and then gets side-swiped again. At least we’ll (hopefully) see her get a Name again, because I did always prefer Name shenanigans to Mantle shenanigans. The main thing I'm kinda confused about is that I can't think of any realistic way for a mortal Catherine to deal with the sort of threats in play. No Names in and of themselves seem to really offer any way to even the scales or deal with threats on the order of the Dead King, Dwarves, Drow, etc. I guess it's possible she could still have the drow allied with her if the "good" Sve Noc sister has the power and her troops are still contracted to Winter*. Also Neshamah is an ageless wise dude who seemed to think Catherine would end up as an ageless demigod like himself, and I can't think of any motive for him to have been bullshitting her. There's also nothing particularly "overpowered" about her having a power along the lines of Winter's, now that we've been introduced to all these characters that are totally capable of dealing with that level of power. Also, if she becomes mortal, it kinda negates the whole "sacrifice" she made when she decided to fully "accept" Winter earlier. There was this whole plot/character beat about how she had previously only been sacrificing those around her, and she needs to be willing to make a sacrifice herself (in the form of the emotions/sensations she lost when fully coming into the Winter mantle). If she just returns to "normal" it kinda cheapens that. * though weren't they contracted to "the Sovereign of Moonless Nights," and the Sve Noc sister would presumably have a different title if she got the mantle? vvv Yeah, IIRC the White Knight has this whole thing where his first encounters with Black took place when he was a relatively immature hero, and that he's sorta destined to mature into something more dangerous (I feel like something may have specifically implied this, but can't remember what) Ytlaya fucked around with this message at 09:19 on Dec 1, 2018 |
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Dec 1, 2018 08:19
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the white knight didnt die , he has shown up and been mentioned afterwards as probably being the core of the band of heroes that will fight off the dead king
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Dec 1, 2018 08:50
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Ytlaya posted:vvv Yeah, IIRC the White Knight has this whole thing where his first encounters with Black took place when he was a relatively immature hero, and that he's sorta destined to mature into something more dangerous (I feel like something may have specifically implied this, but can't remember what) We’ve already seen it to a certain extent. When White fights Black the first time, he’s just hopping through the memories of every hero he can to try and find an effective skill set. When he comes back to fight in the Vales, he’s sorted through all of the possibilities and picked out a limited number that will be most effective at fighting Black. More skillful use of his core powerset is definitely a sign of a maturing hero.
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Dec 1, 2018 12:53
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Ytlaya posted:Completely unrelated to anything recent, but I'm genuinely curious how in the hell the fight between Ranger and the Summer Queen transpired. Like, how in the hell could Ranger have dealt with the Summer Queen just incinerating everything? I guess she might have some other dangerous aspects or something (we know one is Learn, that apparently resulted in her becoming some sort of fighting savant after having it for such a long life). Apparently the Summer Queen came out better in the exchange, with Ranger being injured badly enough that she needed to recover, but I'm still curious how she put up a fight in the first place. Ranger's aspects are learn, perfect and transcend or a word that means the same thing, they're mentioned in her PoV chapter. I skimmed the toc for it and the name didn't leap out, might be one of the bonus chapters that only shows up in the next/previous thing. She does some name stuff to cut the burning sky or something and unfreeze time, so I guess she does name nonsense like the Saint can. Also I think one of the Saint's lines implies she and Ranger fought before? She recognises Catherine's style as similar to Ranger's and comments on it, I took that as meaning they've tussled before.
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Dec 2, 2018 02:29
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Maybe Ranger is some very indirect agent for Under, and indirectly influences major happenings through her involvement with Black and very very indirect involvement with Catherine through Archer (or saving her from Summer). I'm only half-joking, since she's definitely weird as far as Named go.
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Dec 2, 2018 02:37
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Gitro posted:Ranger's aspects are learn, perfect and transcend or a word that means the same thing, they're mentioned in her PoV chapter. I skimmed the toc for it and the name didn't leap out, might be one of the bonus chapters that only shows up in the next/previous thing. This is the Ranger chapter, “Regard”
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Dec 2, 2018 02:38
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I'm re-reading MoL for fun, and something weird stood out to me- when red robe cut the aranea out of the loop, how did he get the dagger so fast? Either he stole it on the last day of the loop while Zorian was too focused on invasion prep to notice (which would've been before he'd brain-scanned Zach and learned about additional time travelers), or he was in a position of authority/access to steal it right at the start of the loop.
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Dec 2, 2018 02:38
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Maybe he didn't need it? Zorian seems fairly convinced that he managed to stay in the loop by tampering with a temporary marker in one way or another right? So if he has the skills to tamper with a soul marker maybe he also has the skills to replicate the daggers loop-ejection effect? Zorian really should have found some rando to test the dagger on to see if there was a flash of purple(?) light when someone gets ejected by the dagger...
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Dec 2, 2018 03:16
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Hmm yeah, good point... although I dunno, his tampering with the marker always felt like a bit of reach- we didn't see that much of him, but by all accounts he was a pretty lousy mage in most respects. He must've already been involved with the cult by lieu of having high-ranking member guy robes on hand, so I wonder if that wasn't something he roped lichdad into helping with instead of doing it himself? That's actually an alliance I'm still curious about, and it's one reason I don't really buy veyers as the dude; it felt like the only possibly reason the lich guy would help out is if red robe were part of the invasion proper, but I don't think anybody Zach interacted with regularly was from the undead island place? So that whole relationship seems weird.
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Dec 2, 2018 04:16
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