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Nettle Soup posted:Some real conspiracy theories taking root in the RR comments for this SupSup chapter. I like (SupSup 64 comments) the theory that Boe is a sway, explaining why he hid it because of the prejudice against sways. But that also might imply really creepy things considering Boe's parents are "checked out" and just watch TV all day while Boe does the cooking and cleaning at his house. That said, since the age you get your powers is strongly correlated with rank, and Boe seems to have been selected before Alden, who was on the border between rank A and B when he was picked, it does imply Boe is probably either A or S ranked. Also until I read the comments I didn't realize that Jeremy's roundabout way of doing the reveal was meant to avoid the government surveillance Boe was so worried about 
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Aug 14, 2023 16:19
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Nettle Soup posted:Some real conspiracy theories taking root in the RR comments for this SupSup chapter. I feel like a lot of the readers might be misunderstanding what a Unique class is. Like was mentioned in a recent chapter, Unique classes aren't "the best classes," and more often than not they seem to actually be kind of weird and useless classes that people suspect are just Artonans experimenting or creating someone to fill some hyper-specific need. It's only sometimes that a person is able to make a combo work well (like the principal of the school who is basically a Brute who can also phase through things). I get the impression that a unique class is usually just a class that has a mix of stuff that would normally be specific to different classes. It seems like the more important/useful thing is actually whether you get access to unique Skills (as in the case with Konstantin's "view the history of an object" Skill). Speaking of that kind of stuff, I kinda wonder if Konstantin has one of those original Skills, since his Skill sounds like the sort of thing that might have similar depth to Alden's own, and it's apparently a very high-value Skill since the guy wasn't able to get anything else aside from a single spell impression, despite being S-Rank. I feel like Konstantin has a very good chance of becoming a "main cast member," just because his ability is too interesting. Out of everyone we've seen so far during this arc, Maricel, Konstantin, and Max seem like the most likely future cast members. Bremen posted:
I mean, Boe was absolutely correct about that, especially in a world with some magical technology. Ytlaya fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Aug 14, 2023 |
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Aug 14, 2023 21:59
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Ytlaya posted:(SupSup 76) (SupSup 76) maybe (its definitely possible), but it could also be that an artonan wizard broke his wevvi set and decided it would be handy if he could get someone to just fix it for him, and then one of his colleagues remembered the time that he'd lent his coat out and got it back stained and decided that there needed to be a way to confirm which bastard it was who ruined it, and then one of the people battling with them for funding decided that screw those guys, that skill is gonna be s-rank just so it costs a fortune to fix the wevvi set, and now you get Kon. once you get into design-by-committee, all bets are off also (sup-sup patreon in general) i just realized alden won spree-day so hard that he impressed an artonan princeling with his extravagance. good job, conspicuous consumer alden!
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Aug 14, 2023 22:32
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Re: original 300 skills in SupSup 76: We know the younger brother was "offered something unusual." I'm kind of torn if this points to or away from his item postcognition skill being an original special. On the one hand, I would expect the Artonans to make such a skill pretty obscured and unappealing. On the other hand, maybe the political wrangling requires each resource world to have a certain number of original 300 skills available, and so Alden snatching up one means another would drop. That kind of thing could explain away the improbability of two 300 skills going to baby humans in the same year.
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Aug 14, 2023 23:25
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awesmoe posted:(SupSup 76) The main issue with this interpretation is that it wouldn't explain the authority cost of the Skill. I don't necessarily think it's one of the original Skills, but it definitely has extra depth to it. We've never been given any indication that Skills are made poorly in ways that cause them to use way too much authority (and we know this uses a ton, since it used most of an S-Rank's authority as an Adjuster, a class with few foundation points). It seems conspicuous to me that the story went out of its way to mention that Konstantin was only able to get a single Skill + single spell impression as an S-Rank. Ytlaya fucked around with this message at 01:08 on Aug 15, 2023 |
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Aug 15, 2023 01:06
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Ytlaya posted:The main issue with this interpretation is that it wouldn't explain the authority cost of the Skill. I don't necessarily think it's one of the original Skills, but it definitely has extra depth to it. We've never been given any indication that Skills are made poorly in ways that cause them to use way too much authority (and we know this uses a ton, since it used most of an S-Rank's authority as an Adjuster, a class with few foundation points). It seems conspicuous to me that the story went out of its way to mention that Konstantin was only able to get a single Skill + single spell impression as an S-Rank. Depending on the limitations on it it could do some wild stuff. Like reviving the dead. See the history of a nonliving object (corpse) and return it to a previous state. So there is a ton of potential depth there. patreon SupSup
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Aug 15, 2023 01:16
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SoupsUp 76: Restoring an object to a previous state is absolutely an S-tier power with massively creative ways to use it. See: The entirety of Jojos Bizarre Adventure Part 4.
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Aug 15, 2023 01:19
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Wittgen posted:Re: original 300 skills in SupSup 76: We know the younger brother was "offered something unusual." I'm kind of torn if this points to or away from his item postcognition skill being an original special. On the one hand, I would expect the Artonans to make such a skill pretty obscured and unappealing. I think for it to be a 300 skill it has to be on the Rabbit list. All races always get access to the 300, the only skill-based class the murder-cats get is Rabbit, so all 300 skills are Rabbit skills.
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Aug 15, 2023 01:59
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SupSup 76: but the thing is that the restoration of an object to a previous state is the spell impression. It isn't the skill. The skill is the postcognition power.
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Aug 15, 2023 02:23
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Alright, all the black bars broke me, clearly something interesting is happening. It doesn't help that Patreon makes resubbing so easy. Off to catch up.
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Aug 15, 2023 02:29
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I'm gonna sit on my chin hands to enjoy watching you folks excitedly talking about spoilers I can't click on and I'm waiting eagerly for the publicly available chapters to reach the point you're at
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Aug 15, 2023 03:19
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It doesn't matter anymore, I got to a part in Chapter 71 and now I am dead. I will not be able to read the rest. (SupSup Patreon 71)Alden at the mandatory interspecies sex-ed lessons for Avowed: "I’m no longer capable of feeling embarrassment, he thought, staring at a slide that was just a picture of a griveck with the word NO! written on it in twelve major languages." The Grivecks are truly the best part of SupSup, even when they aren't actually appearing. Bremen fucked around with this message at 14:53 on Aug 15, 2023 |
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Aug 15, 2023 04:33
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MonikaTSarn posted:I love Gunslinger Girl, but the last few episodes before the hiatus felt somewhat off. I dunno if it's better if you're a blue box head, but the last few chapters have all been about levelling up and costuming and it's been utterly enervating. I came here for the emotional stuff not +3 to strength.
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Aug 15, 2023 13:15
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Bremen posted:It doesn't matter anymore, I got to a part in Chapter 71 and now I am dead. I will not be able to read the rest. (SupSup Patreon) Regarding that: I wonder if the thread topic was someone's famous last words
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Aug 15, 2023 13:25
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uPen posted:I think for it to be a 300 skill it has to be on the Rabbit list. All races always get access to the 300, the only skill-based class the murder-cats get is Rabbit, so all 300 skills are Rabbit skills. Do they get access to everything on the list, though? I wouldn't think so, based off the fact that certain Skills are rarely even accessible. Given the way the way it seems like most of Artonan leadership doesn't want Avowed using those skills, it seems unlikely that it's the cause of the "all Avowed species need to have Ryeh'bts" requirement (which has the easy alternate explanation of "Ryeh'bts are by far the most in-demand type of Avowed on the triplanets") Elfface posted:SoupsUp 76: Restoring an object to a previous state is absolutely an S-tier power with massively creative ways to use it. See: The entirety of Jojos Bizarre Adventure Part 4. Keep in mind the restoration is outside the scope of his Skill - his spell impression does that (and I don't think those can be developed to do new/unique things like Skills). His Skill just reads the history of the object. It's actually unclear to me *how* that could be developed into something really useful for active hero work (though it would obviously be extremely useful for a variety of other things), but the authority requirement seems to strongly imply that it's the case.
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Aug 15, 2023 15:54
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Ytlaya posted:Keep in mind the restoration is outside the scope of his Skill - his spell impression does that (and I don't think those can be developed to do new/unique things like Skills). His Skill just reads the history of the object. It's actually unclear to me *how* that could be developed into something really useful for active hero work (though it would obviously be extremely useful for a variety of other things), but the authority requirement seems to strongly imply that it's the case. (SupSup patreon) He's an Adjuster and it's been stated that most of an Adjuster's actual superhuman ability is tied up in their spells. It wouldn't surprise me if that sort of build is standard, with one information-gathering and processing skill that gives you information to plug into your specialized set of spells. They did mention that Adjuster options narrow considerably after your initial build choices and that's probably why. The thing that strikes me is that as an individual development path that kind of Adjuster has pretty hard limits--your spells do what they do and while you can get creative with their application, you're not going to be able to expand past their constraints like you can with a skill-focused package.
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Aug 15, 2023 16:32
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Einander posted:(SupSup patreon) He's an Adjuster and it's been stated that most of an Adjuster's actual superhuman ability is tied up in their spells. It wouldn't surprise me if that sort of build is standard, with one information-gathering and processing skill that gives you information to plug into your specialized set of spells. They did mention that Adjuster options narrow considerably after your initial build choices and that's probably why. The thing that strikes me is that as an individual development path that kind of Adjuster has pretty hard limits--your spells do what they do and while you can get creative with their application, you're not going to be able to expand past their constraints like you can with a skill-focused package. SupSup Patreon Correct. Skills are open ended spell impressions that can grow, while spell impressions are fixed little (or big) authority affixations to imprint the method and necessary authority to cast a spell. Chapter 39: quote:“So skills are just big, complicated spell impressions?”
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Aug 15, 2023 16:40
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Kaja Rainbow posted:I'm gonna sit on my chin hands to enjoy watching you folks excitedly talking about spoilers I can't click on and I'm waiting eagerly for the publicly available chapters to reach the point you're at I will sum up. In conclusion, SoupSup is a land of contrasts.
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Aug 15, 2023 17:12
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wandering inn: two hundred forty thousand words
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Aug 15, 2023 22:27
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Einander posted:(SupSup patreon) He's an Adjuster and it's been stated that most of an Adjuster's actual superhuman ability is tied up in their spells. It wouldn't surprise me if that sort of build is standard, with one information-gathering and processing skill that gives you information to plug into your specialized set of spells. They did mention that Adjuster options narrow considerably after your initial build choices and that's probably why. The thing that strikes me is that as an individual development path that kind of Adjuster has pretty hard limits--your spells do what they do and while you can get creative with their application, you're not going to be able to expand past their constraints like you can with a skill-focused package. The difference is that it's apparently very unusual to only have enough "space" for a single skill and spell. Alden himself explicitly explains it: quote:So that Konstantin guy’s Adjuster skill must be overpowered for a newbie S, Alden realized, glancing toward where the other boy was arguing with his brother again. Either that or his spell impression is nuts. Adjusters usually get multiple decent spells to start, so one of the two things he can do must have abnormal authority requirements. And on a more meta level, regardless of whether it's the Skill or the spell impression that's using most of his authority, the combination of "the seemingly simple description" and "using so much authority" is conspicuous.
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Aug 15, 2023 22:35
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Holy poo poo, the latest Patreon chapter of Time To Orbit: Unknown is going hard
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Aug 16, 2023 01:22
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TTOU 92 has certainly escalated quickly We know the Friend is happy to lie to achieve what he sees as the most useful outcome, so I doubt "they were all in on it" is true. Interesting that Sands intends to kill them all but isn't trying to use the bombs in their heads. Also god Aspen, https://xkcd.com/538/ to a tee
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Aug 16, 2023 02:03
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SupSup 77 (Patreon): Good news, it's an interlude! Bad news, it's just an interlude! "“Jesus, are we comparing ourselves to grivecks now? Even the non-Avowed ones can kill things the size of a grown man with their tongues." - Due to the timing of reading this chapter right after catching up my mind immediately flashed back to the Griveck poster from 71 and it was both hilarious and horrible.
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Aug 16, 2023 20:41
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Bremen posted:SupSup 77 (Patreon): Good news, it's an interlude! Bad news, it's just an interlude! One thing I'm a little surprised didn't come up in their discussion is the fact that Alden deliberately chose the Rabbit class. Alden's choice of *Skill* came up, but I think they should also have access to the information that Alden deliberately sought out Rabbit despite both wanting to be a superhero *and* being in a situation where he could have requested any class from the Velras (which is something I think the school staff would be aware of, particularly with Skiff there).
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Aug 16, 2023 20:47
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SupSup 77 Patreon That was a neat little chapter. Got to see a bunch of other people's perspectives on how they view Alden and not have to guess from his POV. Arjun seems like he was being rough, but I feel like he's less so wanting to give Alden a hard time and instead worried that he is crushing himself trying to live up to Hannah after her death. No one really grasped the incredible utility of LMTYL/BoAB other than noting that his objects were taking some pretty substantial hits that he shouldn't have been able to handle as a B-rank. Apparently Alden's commendation is so extraordinary that literally no one has ever seen anything like it. I guess saving an Artonan child from a chaos incursion and running across a moon carrying them is quite the accomplishment! And Alis didn't even know how close Alden is to a proto-knight either when she gave that award! Apparently they made Alden go up against an S-Class in the combat trials. Wonder how that went. Probably not great! Hopefully next chapter is the interview and results.
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Aug 16, 2023 21:09
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Nitrousoxide posted:SupSup 77 Patreon Yeah, (SupSup 77) as far as I could tell Arjun was entirely fine with Alden becoming a hero, and even rebuked those that thought a rabbit couldn't. He just strongly disapproved of it happening right now because he wanted Alden to have more time to recover first: "The boy can become a superhero if he wants to. Or not. As Lesedi knows, I’m objecting on the grounds that the hero track is an inappropriate environment for him right now, and even his presence on the gym floor today is proof that the school is overeager to accept him for some reason." As far as the utility... since they don't know about the whole expanding versatility trick, BoAB probably doesn't seem *that* impressive. Preservation stuff isn't unknown, Hannah could do the bubble, and having to have people give Alden permission to take something is a pretty major mark against it as a combat skill. Also, if Skiff knows all this, I suspect that means the wordchain family knows. Alden's totally going to wake up married. I'm a little curious about the commendation and them talking about "never seeing that wording before". Don't get me wrong, Alden's actions were incredibly impressive and heroic, but surely some avowed somewhere has dived to tackle an Artonan kid out of the way of a moving car in front of a knight or whatever. It seems like his actions alone don't really explain the reverence it's getting, so I wonder if it's because he was just lucky enough to do it in front of Alis, or if she was being extra nice in granting it (I've seen suggestions she might have felt guilty because she made the decision not to check out the lab when it exploded). Bremen fucked around with this message at 21:46 on Aug 16, 2023 |
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Aug 16, 2023 21:39
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SS77: Grind this politicking into dust and inject it into my veins. so good. Regarding the commendation, I think it would be really hard to get "bravery in absence of obligation" when all your interactions with Artonans are during summons. Makes pretty much any bravery obligated bravery. Combine that with just how little humans get summoned in the grand scheme of things? I totally buy Alden's commendation from El Quatro being just that impressive.
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Aug 16, 2023 21:46
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SupSup 77 Yeah Alden's official job on Moon Thegund was to "pick some berries". Instead, he protected a young Artonan child from a chaos incursion for several months and physically carried her to safety nonstop for days without the presence of a working Contract or other Avowed or Wizard assistance. All as a level 1 Rank B rabbit who's affixation was falling apart.
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Aug 16, 2023 21:58
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Nitrousoxide posted:SupSup 77 Patreon I believe their reasoning is that Alden's potential can't grow much beyond where he currently is. Remember, they're unaware of the existence of uncapped Skills, so they're acting under the assumption that Alden's current Skill is the only substantive (for hero use) ability he'll ever have. Because that's how Rabbits are, at least on Earth- they tend to focus on a specific skill and/or pick up various minor things that aren't exactly useful for hero work. So they're currently under the assumption that Alden found a useful Rabbit skill, but even if he becomes proficient at using it he'll hit a wall early into his career due to his Rank and Class. Meanwhile, other Avowed will keep gaining new skills/spells useful in combat and/or lots of foundation points, due to a combination of their Classes and Ranks. Obviously they're missing the key information that Alden's Skill can be developed and expanded to do new things indefinitely (and Alden's fake profile directly supports this deception), but their argument is completely valid given their limited information. Given what they know, it's logical to think that Alden will quickly be left behind by his fellow students, who will benefit from new and better skills and more foundation points. This is why the observers changed their minds upon finding out he's a Rabbit. Alden's performance itself was great and sufficient to be accepted, but they assumed he had some Class/Rank that would support further growth (and they have no reason to think this is the case, since they just think he's a B-Rank Rabbit with a single useful Skill). Bremen posted:Yeah, (SupSup 77) I'm a little curious about the commendation and them talking about "never seeing that wording before". Don't get me wrong, Alden's actions were incredibly impressive and heroic, but surely some avowed somewhere has dived to tackle an Artonan kid out of the way of a moving car in front of a knight or whatever. It seems like his actions alone don't really explain the reverence it's getting, so I wonder if it's because he was just lucky enough to do it in front of Alis, or if she was being extra nice in granting it (I've seen suggestions she might have felt guilty because she made the decision not to check out the lab when it exploded). I think it's the degree of what Alden did - the sheer amount of time involved, and the fact that he literally killed himself to try and get Kibby to safety (the reason they left when they did instead of waiting longer was because Kibby was starting to lose to the chaos - if it was just Alden, he probably could have kept waiting at the lab). It's different from just a momentary brave choice (like tackling a kid away from danger like you mention), but is instead one maintained for months. It's probably extremely rare for Avowed to even end up in situations of that nature. Most wouldn't end up in that sort of situation to begin with (cut off from a System), and most who did would end up dying. And I think it's a combination of both the wording and who gave it - literally one of the most influential people in all of Artonan society. Ytlaya fucked around with this message at 22:12 on Aug 16, 2023 |
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Aug 16, 2023 22:02
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Latest Soup's up Yeah Alden's commendation is a combination of what he did (very impressive) and that he's a literal child. Alise is a Knight and she's used to palling around with other Knights and super-avowed like Kraaaa. Then this 15 year-old waiter shows up having carried a kid fifty miles through a chaos zone on broken ankles while his skill is tearing itself apart. And after he wakes up he's like, "Yeah yeah I'm about to die horribly, but can we please talk about what Kibby needs? Btw can you help me make my will because I got summoned after being an avowed for like 5 minutes". For Alise Alden is the absolute last avowed who should be anywhere near a chaos zone. It's probably not the most impressive thing a human avowed has ever done, but the difference between what he did and what he was hired to do is ah, substantial. Hence the "in absence of obligation" bit of the commendation. Unrelated, I love that Skiff maintains branding off the job. Just holding high school entrance exams in board shorts and flip-flops. Patrick Spens fucked around with this message at 22:40 on Aug 16, 2023 |
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Aug 16, 2023 22:30
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SupSup 77 I do like the blatant corruption of swapping out the good psychologist for a worse one so they could ensure Alden gets a clean bill of mental health to join the program, and they can squeeze him for those juicy Artonan investments. These are supposed to be the heroes!
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Aug 16, 2023 23:25
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Nitrousoxide posted:SupSup 77 To be fair, the actual instructors do seem to be angry about that. The managers at the top who made that decision might be bureaucrats, not heroes.
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Aug 17, 2023 00:08
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SS77 There is a pretty strong rationale for it though. If they can make their school even 10-20% better at making effective heroes, letting one kid do the ill considered thing he wants to do? Letting one child maybe burn out and have to fall back on being a rich rabbit? That's a lot of gain for not much cost. It was really smart to have this chapter show us exactly what all the interviewers are thinking. We have a sense of their worldviews and their agendas. It is going to make the interview next chapter so much juicier.
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Aug 17, 2023 00:17
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SupSup 77 (yes, after saying it was pricy I broke and got the Patreon again, sue me) Just realised Alden is being treated like the first time a oil shieks kid applies to a Ivy League. Admin is admitting him on the hope he can bring some juicy Artonian endowments to the school. No wonder the councillor knew he was getting in. Also, didn't even think that Hannah's mother would be keeping an eye on Aiden or greasing the wheels for him, so he has that aswell.
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Aug 17, 2023 00:18
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Wittgen posted:SS77 There is a pretty strong rationale for it though. If they can make their school even 10-20% better at making effective heroes, letting one kid do the ill considered thing he wants to do? Letting one child maybe burn out and have to fall back on being a rich rabbit? That's a lot of gain for not much cost. (SS77) Also they pretty much admit that if their psychologist turned him down, one of the other hero schools would probably have done the same trick and accepted him. So they can convince themselves they're not doing any harm. And of course the reader knows that Alden, if not exactly fine, isn't going to be psychologically scarred by getting into hero school. Nothingtoseehere posted:SupSup 77 (yes, after saying it was pricy I broke and got the Patreon again, sue me) High five fellow broke down and subscribed Patreon reader.
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Aug 17, 2023 00:37
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Wittgen posted:SS77: Grind this politicking into dust and inject it into my veins. so good. Getting a look at the different layers of bureaucratic pressure and political competition just made hero island a much more interesting place. We are taking scummy corporate sponsored heroes into some really fascinating territory now that there are some people more fully aware what being a "resource world" entails. My favorite bit is probably the guy salivating over how Alden can make Blue Donuts™ look amazing by using them as invincible heroing props, though.
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Aug 17, 2023 01:04
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avoraciopoctules posted:Definitely agree. Wasn't that Colibri, the "middle-aged brunette woman"? Regarding Alden's current fight against an S-Rank, while he'll probably get owned, it's actually pretty plausible for him to win with the fishing lines if someone relies on getting into melee range. It looks like most other young Avowed aren't capable of breaking his preservation, so he effectively has this barrier of semi-invisible indestructable threads + the umbrella shield. It'd probably be pretty easy to deal with if you understand how it works, but Alden's opponent won't. Ytlaya fucked around with this message at 01:46 on Aug 17, 2023 |
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Aug 17, 2023 01:42
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Hard to say. I wasn't really paying much attention to who the individuals in the discussion were, just the political perspectives presented.
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Aug 17, 2023 01:55
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SuperSupportive 77 I'd like to break down the motivations of the interviewers. Mostly because my first read was so strongly negative I wonder if I'm missing something. Colibrí - HR/PR focused. Very interested in "designer" apparel and tools. Advocates for Alden's admission because she thinks she can leverage his attendance to extract more resources from the Artonans. Exhibits no interest at all in the wellfare of Alden or the other students as people. While having someone around to poke fun at and deflate the egos of superheros can help keep them grounded, taken together with the lack of any indication she cares about the welfare of others other than as a negotiation strategy, paints a very unflattering picture of her. More wicked step mother than goodhearted trickster at the moment. Skiff (Active Hero in Chicago & alumni, water powers) - suspected of being in the Velras' pocket. Consistently advocates for Alden's admission, but presumably only because the Velras told him to. Came into the meeting with his mind made up for him, note this section: "Skiff looked surprised and relieved... “He’s not doing bad at all!”" Since his advocacy is mostly on procedural grounds, doesn't seem to have any confidence in or concern for Alden aside from inferred but not-explicit directions from the Velras. His willingness to do as ordered and put possibly unqualified people in dangerous positions would be unlikeable but irrelevant for most people, for a CNH evaluator or a super hero, it's going to be fatally irresponsible someday and therefor reprehensible. Torsten Klein (CNH? instructor) - Comes across as very strict. But not so strict that he's not willing to break the rules to achieve his goals. So his strictness isn't a result of being a strict rule follower or from recognizing that rules exist for a reason; so why is he strict? Absent some higher principle behind his strictness, he seems like a jerk. Acknowledges it's possible there might be good rabbit skills for hero work, but still strongly advocates against Alden's admission on the grounds that "we don’t know of any. Because of that, directing Alden Thorn toward such choices will be impossible." Basically, he's arguing against accepting Alden because it will... make him look incompetent? Which he is, he just stated as a matter of fact that they aren't competent to train Rabbit heroes. But allowing fear of failure to blind him to other possibilities. To ignore Alden's demonstrated good character, is hardly the sort of attitude to be desired in a hero or a trainer of heroes. Honestly, he, and everyone else objecting to Alden on the basis of his class, come across as bigots. Oh, not the usual sort of racist or sexist bigot sure, but bigots none-the-less. He's objecting to Alden, not because of anything intrinsic to Alden, but rather because of his class. And oh my is that not a pretty picture. I don't think it's an accident, or a criticism of Sleyca, that Klein comes across that way. Lesedi Saleh (Principal of CNH, former hero) - Previously seemed like a good person and good hero. Breaks the rules and tells everyone Alden's class and rank. Which is going to make it very ironic if there's ever a scene where she lectures someone else for rulebreaking. Since getting everyone to follow the rules and move in the same direction is basically a principal's job, I expect lots of irony in the future. She comes so close to pointing out that everyone objecting to Alden's class are behaving like bigots "There is absolutely nothing Alden can do to change his class. There is also nothing he can do to change that commendation or the way terrible old people like us react to it.” Unfortunately she fumbles at the goal line and instead points at the commendation as the thing they're reacting poorly; when, ironically, it is the only thing forcing them to give Alden the opportunity he'd have earned with any other class. A point Sleyca is well aware of since they have almost all the alumni make it. Probably the worst thing she says to my eyes is: "The university was afraid that the good psychologist we usually use wouldn’t approve his readiness for hero track courses or combat after reading his application, so they hired a less good psychologist for this cycle. I’ve still had people watching him all day to make sure he’s all right.” She denied a teenager who she knows went through something terrible the aid of the usual psychologist so that she could exploit him. This is not the action of a hero. It's the action of a self-important manager who values her own success above the welfare and survival of others. Torsten is right to be upset about this. He ought to be incensed. I'd like him more if he'd done more than merely grumble. I had the hardest time getting a read on her motivations. Seems to be a mix of carrying out the orders of her masters (bad) and making the best of a bad situation (good). Arjun (not one of the interviewers but deserves special attention since he, sort of, saved Alden's life and considers himself, well, Hannah, responsible for the death of Alden's parents) - Claims to be working to prevent Alden from achieving his goals for Alden's sake. Despite being a full, complete, functioning adult, with presumably lots and lots of lessons on public relations as a very public hero, still chooses to break rules and go behind Alden's back "for his own good." Instead of, you know, talking to Alden? Like an adult? Very childish behavior from him. He's probably in his early thirties but if he started superheroing right before crossing paths with Alden the first time he might still be in his late twenties which would make his childishness more understandable if not any less unpleasant. LLSix fucked around with this message at 03:39 on Aug 17, 2023 |
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Aug 17, 2023 02:17
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| # ? Jun 3, 2024 21:51 |
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You bring up some good points, but I would push back on some of that. I think it's important to remember that they are evaluating people for admission to the most prestigious superhero training program in the world. I think the principle and the hardass teachers are mostly coming at it from that point of view. Their job is to train superheroes, and a kid who can only gain maybe ten skills levels that are useful in superheroing? Just doesn't have the potential required. Basically they are biased against rabbits, but not in a way that is unjustified given their faulty information. They're thinking of where Alden can be at 30 years old, and the rabbit class as they understand it does not allow success. Why put a kid through a super stressful program if the rabbit class has limits which makes success impossible? They're teachers, not researchers. The principal is playing politics, but she was correct in everything she said. Alden is the one choosing to pursue a hero track, and they don't have the power or right to change that choice for him. He is so politically connected with the Artonans that he's going to get in somewhere. Why not his first choice? Getting him a suboptimal psychologist is super slimy though. Arjun is a bit more complicated. He clearly has trauma from killing that guy and doesn't want to talk to Alden. Kind of understandable. He is right that the school is pushing for Alden's admittance for selfish reasons. He is wrong about the school being too much for Alden right now, but it makes sense that he feels that way. Given he has no relationship with Alden, I can understand why he tried to exert his influence in this way. Overall, I think you're right that this chapter shows a bunch of the conflicting and not necessarily enlightened worldviews underlying the hero school as an institution. Some unsavory stuff. I think you place a little too much weight on rule breaking though. It's a special situation in a lot of ways. Not fully following protocol is not a big deal.
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Aug 17, 2023 02:57
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