#s130

EB: ok then, i guess i will get going. AG: Go where? EB: to keep looking for my dad! […] AG: I have told you that you will find your dad eventually. That should 8e good enough! Don't you think it's time to start taking your responsi8ility more seriously? […] EB: but what responsibility do you mean? AG: We just concluded that I am going to go fight Jack. And there is a possi8ility I will fail! He could kill me easily for all I know. 8ut it's something I have to try.

It'll be a short fight, either way. Jack's teleport is instantaneous, and Vriska’s luckstealing causes an immediate calamity for her opponent.

If her ability can bypass Jack's invincibility, then the outcome of their duel will be decided by whoever's quicker on the draw.

In other words: are you feeling lucky, Vriska?

AG: And if I do fail, your plan will serve as 8ackup. There is a lot riding on you, John. On 8oth of us! EB: so you're saying i should go get the tumor now instead of putting it off? AG: I'm not telling you to do anything. Just reminding you of what's at st8ke. […] EB: how am i supposed to get it out? EB: i guess go find a cave or something? AG: Yes, you could pro8a8ly go looking for a sanctioned entry point. AG: Or you could just do what winners in a hurry do. […] AG: Cheat! […] AG: I won't tell you how, 8ut I will point out you could start making 8etter use of your powers than facilit8ing noisy joyrides.

I love that Vriska is clearly trying to let John’s ideas arise naturally, but she's just too pushy to passively stand by. She has to give him hints.

EB: yes, but… EB: all i can do is make a lot of wind blow around!

Yeah, on the scale of an entire Land. And that was before you became a wind god, too - you're probably even stronger now.

With John's power level, it should be trivial to smash through the Battlefield’s mantle - the problem is doing so without collateral damage. Hurricanes are not generally known for their subtlety.

AG: I think it's time for me to get going too. I will prepare for 8attle. […] EB: can this not be the last time we talk before you go? EB: it would be nice to hear from you at least once before you leave to fight him. AG: Yeah! You got it. I will message you 8efore I leave.

Frankly, this afterlife is basically perfect for Tavros. He’s free from the expectations of Alternian society, from the responsibilities of Sgrub, and most importantly, from Vriska. Tavros can finally just chill out, the way he’s wanted to this whole time.

He won't be lonely, either, as Murderstuck is still very much in effect on the meteor. At the very least, Feferi and the Meowrails will be around to keep him company, and I'm sure they won't be the last casualties of the day.

TG: so aradia just so were clear TG: this is like a hellbubble right TG: its my eternal punishment to have shitty rapoffs with this tool forever is that it AA: yes you figured out the mystery! TG: i guess i had it coming for a flagrant lifetime spent being unbelievably fucking incredible at rap and just about practically everything else […] AA: you may think so but then again you have not faced team charge in a match of slam poetry have you

Let's fucking GO!

AA: just kidding im no good at slam poetry haha sorry

:( can't have shit in the dream bubbles

TG: you dont look dead TG: are you dreaming AA: no i am wide awake AA: and i physically stand before you in person!

Let's get back to Aradia. Besides helping Dave come to terms with his death, what's she actually up to, out here in the Ring?

What's the plan, Megido?

AA: i am very much alive AA: and i intend to stay that way :)

TG: oh so this is the trollplanet TG: pretty cool not really what i pictured AA: what did you picture […] TG: a bunch of trolls flying around in little grub pods constantly screaming at each other through bullhorns shaped like buckets AA: thats very silly and a little perverse […] AA: but actually that sounds like what it might have been like on some parts of the planet sooo

Aradia lived out in the boonies, so she's not much of an authority on cosmopolitan life in Alternia. Sollux is the city boy, and I wouldn't be surprised if this was what his area was like.

TG: so what am i supposed to do now that im dead […] TG: where are the fucking hauntoffs at is what im asking AA: i dont know about hauntoffs AA: but there is plenty of time to satisfy various curiosities you might have about existence and whatnot

I guess even this neighbourhood has a Janet.

... man, I miss The Good Place. I’ve been rewatching clips from the show this week, and it's actually got a lot in common with Homestuck. They're both character-driven stories with enormous scope, centered around a bizarre institution which governs all of reality.

AA: there are all sorts of friends to meet AA: ones you already know and ones you dont

Is Aradia referring to members of her own team, or are there ghosts from entirely different sessions floating around the Bubbles?

Feferi was prophesized to unite only two races, something she's achieved through the Horrorterrors. This implies we won't be seeing any other alien species, but we could see other human Players. Technically, it also means we could see other trolls, but that's pretty unlikely. As far as we're aware, Alternia only spawned a single session.

Anyway - the more I think about these Dream Bubbles, the more I'm starting to realize how much strategic potential they have. Affinity for the Furthest Ring is a genuine boon, and being a Derse Dreamer is more advantageous than I thought.

AA: time is like a game […] AA: and games are fun but sometimes you dont realize how much fun you were having until theyre all over AA: and sometimes you look back and realize for some stupid reason you werent having any fun at all!

What an interesting sentiment that I’m sure is not at all autobiographical.

Aradia spent the entire session as a robot with zero agency, and never got to use her powers for her sake, instead of the timeline's. It makes perfect sense that she didn't have fun with her Aspect.

Tavros! My man, Tavros!

Alright, this is actually fantastic. Tavros died before he could reveal Vriska's batshit plan to the team, but Aradia has handed him a second chance. All he has to d-

AT: lOOKS LIKE i FOUND ANOTHER POINT IN TIME TO BOTHER YOU, AT: wHEN, i GUESS, AT: yOU ARE MORE EMOTIONALLY SUSCEPTIBLE, […] TG: are those sick fires youre packing there TG: you best not be bringin that fire into my bubble less you plan on dropping that shit