#s33

The Identity V design of the day is:

"Goatman": Dark Cloud (Limited) (S-Tier)!

I agree with Vriska, insofar that I do think the game is designed to challenge its Players, through slowly escalating trials. This has been my theory for quite a while, and it’s nice to see the characters are on the same page.

However, I think Vriska has taken this idea, filtered it through her worldview, and come to a very Vriska-like, very incorrect conclusion. She seems to think she needs to help this process along - that she should manually force Tavros to grow stronger, through whatever pain and hardship she can come up with. I’m sure it helps that she wanted to do that to him anyway. 

Absolutely nothing we've seen supports this - indeed, Sgrub is very obviously trying to get the trolls to cooperate, seemingly tricking them into merging their ‘competing’ teams together into one single get-along session. Sgrub’s ‘hardships’ are supposed to come from the game, and the Players are supposed to tackle them together. 

AG: Remem8er when we used to flarp together???????? It was the exact same principle. And that's why you were always outmatched! You were too soft and not well prepared.

Actually, I seem to recall that Tavros never let you win. 

Funny how you seem to ‘forget’ that - particularly when there’s no one around with the guts to correct you.

AG: Nothing comes easy, Tavros. That is why we go through the trials in the 8rooding caverns when we are young. AG: To make sure we are strong when we come out!

Vriska believes that what Alternia put them through was good for them - which is understandable, really. She’s reframed her brutal life as a sick sort of ‘training’, allowing her to pretend that nothing bad ever happened to her. 

It was good. It made her a better, stronger troll.

AG: Do you remem8er the trials, Tavros? AT: nOT VERY WELL, nO, AG: Well, I do, and they were a 8itch. AG: 8ut now that I think a8out it, it would make perfect sense if your trials were really easy 8y some mistake. AG: That is why you are such a soggy phlegm sponge, and why you got picked 8y such a sad, frail little lusus!

And because Tavros didn’t get brutalized, he’s weak. 

Which is a bad thing, of course. His stupid, sweet, caring, frail little lusus did him a disservice, and Vriska isn’t jealous at all. 

AT: mAYBE i SHOULD ASK TINKERBULL ABOUT THIS, AT: hE'S REALLY SMART, nOW THAT HE CAN TALK, AG: No!!!!!!!! AG: You don't need help from your lame 8ull fairy. He is only holding you 8ack.

Starring: ‘31 Invicta S33 Low Chassis