#i wrote an essay whoops

[eyestrain-addict]

I just realized why lestat marked Tom, like the big stupid idiot I am

(I know everyone else probably already figured this out, but this is MY blog and I get to post whatever deranged thought crosses my pea brained mind.)

When I watched that scene in episode 5 where they're at the bar talking to Tom, I was confused as to why exactly. Why does Lestat mark Tom? If he's marked to kill, why does he wait almost 2 decades later? Well I realized, as all realizations come, in the shower.

Lestat has been planning on killing Tom the whole time.

(Warning before you click read more, this post is a lot longer than I first intended holy fuck)

Well not the whole time. Just right when Louis realized that Anderson and Fenwick had screwed him over. Maybe even longer if he knew it was a trick ("ridiculous of you to mix human and vampire business it always ends poorly"). Notice how he's upset with louis when he kills the guy who's microaggressive with him, cus lestat wasn't there (even if he was there I have my doubts Lestat would understand microaggressions, but he would have definitely killed him for touching Louis.) But tells Louis he's proud of him for killing Alderman. I think this has to be because he witnessed the disrespect first hand. He didn't give a fuck about the money, what he DID care about was that those two disrespected not only him, but Louis.

Even with Lestats little understanding of race relations of the time in America, he did understand hierarchys. He's from 1700s France for God's sake. It's no coincidence wanted to be king of mardi gras. Lestat came to New Orleans and saw himself as the king, even if no one knew it. And he wanted Louis to be his queen. Honestly I could make an entire other post about how Lestat almost literally saw himself as if he was a King and Louis his beloved Queen, which is why he thought it was okay for him to sleep with other women (mistresses and playthings of the king should mean nothing compared to the queen in lestats eyes) but that's getting off topic. I only bring that up because I'm trying to paint a picture of how I think Lestat sees disrespect done to Louis. To him that goes beyond disrespect or rudeness, it's irreverence.

You begin to notice if you watch scenes with them together. Because while I wouldn't say lestat is good at controlling his anger, he's definitely great at concealing it until it erupts (props to Sam Reid have to be given here) lestat is always on the verge of fury when talking to Tom. It starts as a distaste then as he begins to fall more in love with Louis and become more protective of him, his anger builds. Claudia was wrong about one thing, it was no petty slight that was the reason Lestat killed Tom first, it was a loooonng time coming.

I could list every detail I think supports this but I'm sure you get the gist by now. My main point is really the layer of complexity this adds to not only the story, the characters, but also lestat and louis' relationship. Consider it for a second, Lestat saw all his violence as justified, everything he did one can see it through the lense of him punishing the disrespectful (take a shot every time I say disrespect in this post jesus christ). "I bring death to those deserving" indeed. Lestat has a god complex out the wazoo, and every attack, torture, and death he caused was righteous to him and thus enjoyable. Louis on the other hand didn't see himself so highly. He may seem confident but if you look through the cracks it's apparent Louis's self worth in near nonexistent and he's horribly insecure. I think lestat thought when Louis was made a vampire he would see himself as Lestat saw himself, and as Lestat saw Louis. But again, another post for another time.

Despite Louis' insecurities (or perhaps because of them) louis revels in the violence lestat commits for his sake. That's probably why louis is so quick to forgive lestat about the priests. For a brief moment Lestat truly said the truth to Louis and Louis could forgive him because of it. As lestat says, he doesn't kill the priests to intimidate Louis, nor does he do it just because he enjoys it. He does it because he sees them as humiliating Louis, charlatans that don't deserve Louis' sorrow. Louis didn't want the priest's to die, but he could understand why lestat killed them, simply because for once in his goddamn life lestat told the truth, and louis loved that truth. That truth being that lestat killed and mutilated and committed such horrors not just because he liked it, but because he did it out of a fucked up sense of protection. Him killing the priests was essentially a knight killing a dragon to earn the princess' hand in marriage.

The worst part is that Lestat doesn't even realize it. Not fully anyway. Let's be honest with ourselves, lestat doesn't understand Louis. Obviously there's the race, background, culture differences that lestat doesn't understand nor seems inclined to try, but there are better posts about that made by smarter people than moi. I'm mostly talking about lestat doesn't understand louis' mind itself (louis' mind in a vacuum I suppose you could say) he understands Louis' desire for violence sure, but he doesn't understand the core of that want. Honestly I'm on the fence of if he ever understood that Louis loved it when lestat was protective in the first place. I guess it can be dumbed down to Louis wants Lestat to kill to protect Louis and to protect the family (and anyone who deeply disrepects them), lestat perhaps understood a little at one point, but since he sees everyone as a threat and everything is a slight to him, he has no trouble and qualms with delighting in the torture of people Louis views as innocent. Louis' heart is a bit dark, but ultimately human, so he's disgusted by lestats violence towards the undeserving. Lestat can no longer read Louis' mind and even if he could, Louis doesn't quite understand the difference himself (that's why he tries to hunt for criminals briefly) so the cracks of miscommunication starts to form, and neither of them even realize there is miscommunication.

Therein lies the importance of Tom Anderson for season 1. Not much of a character, more of a plot device in human skin. Claudia can see that Lestat hates him, but doesn't understand why, nor does she care to get to the depths of that. (*Mr house voice* understandable) I think it's notable that Louis rarely brought him up, he didn't understand the depths of lestats love. Nor did he know about Lestats 3 decade long grudge, all because Tom disrespected Louis.

Now I'm not excusing Lestat's actions, I just think it's interesting how this one throwaway character reveals a whole level of complexity to the relationship between him and Louis, and better sheds light on not only Lestats personal philosophy but louis' as well. Even Claudia to a degree.

Anyway, uh. End of essay. Bye.

[acaptainbyanyothername]

Midst spoilers for S3 E16: Trustfall

This is sort of just a jumble of my own interpretation of Phineas and Jonas’ dynamic (which is definitely influenced by my being aspec and having a strange understanding of romance) but I honestly don’t think the kiss complicates their relationship any more than it already is complicated. I feel like their overall dynamic would have been relatively unchanged if they hugged in that moment instead of kissed. Phineas said it best— they’re each others’ person. They both made atrocious mistakes and fucked each other up, but at the end of the day they love each other. When going into this episode, I had no idea if they were going to kiss or not (I knew both were possibilies, but didn’t know the direction it was going to take). But I knew based on their respective arcs and views of each other they were going to plan their futures in conjunction. They were always going to be the most important person to each other. They just so happen to be similar-aged and both attracted to each other, so they used a kiss to demonstrate that to each other instead of other methods of affection. I think trying to wrestle them into typical “romantic” or “platonic” boundaries will always fundamentally miss an aspect of their dynamic. They both fucked each other up, but they want to work through it and plan a path forward. They are the most important person to each other, and they demonstrated in multiple ways througout they episode, one of them being a kiss.

[meefy]

okay bae while I'm having a crisis picking my fav thing about Umihebi/Torou why don't YOU tell us your favorite thing about Lata! Only ONE! 🫵

OOOOOOF fam you KNOW me and how I could write a whole essay on this question...BUT if we have to narrow it down to only one. I think this panel sums it up nicely:

I absolutely love his "I'm gonna do what I want and I don't care what people think of me doing it" attitude. He had everything most commoners would find idealistic: money, a place in the knights circle, noble status, the power that comes with it...and all he wanted to do was go to Lyrias to study rocks. And even when people there called his research useless, and said he was only there because he had money and time to waste, he kept doing it because...he loves it! Look at him. The few times he smiles, it's almost always him talking about or looking at rocks!

His dedication to confidently do what he loves and follow his passion in the face of societal disapproval inspires me every single day. I love him so much.

[randomwordzard]

me listening to I/Me/Myself: this song is so Jimmy the Robot, because of it's ambiguous nature as to whether it's about a trans woman or a gender nonconforming man, in a manner similar to in The Mysterious Egg, where Jimmy, who otherwise appears to present as male, expresses a strong desire to engage in a traditionally feminine gender role, to the point of using a feminine term for himself. The song also has themes of someone changing their gender in order to appeal to someone they have one-sided feelings for, which would fit perfectly with Mcrobot, as Commander is significantly less queer-coded than Jimmy, and it would be very in-character for Jimmy to change himself for Commander, as he deeply loves and depends on his companions and has little self-worth outside of what he provides for them.

also me with every song: this is jimmy cus i like it

[gaybearwedding]

hi hi hello i have been gone forever due to various reasons such as “work” and “mental illness” and “having developed a kpop hyperfixation that has been occupying most of my attention recently” but i need everyone to know that i saw off book live twice last week (in philly with a friend and then in nyc with my girlfriend) and it was truly so everything. i didn’t get many pictures but i did get a few and none of them are very good but one of them is of jess’ amazing stool balancing act and that’s all i need really

[veliseraptor]

Remembering my first introduction to Xue Yang and thinking about how methodical he seemed to me vs fanon version that is basically evil Wei Wuxian on speed.

No really you're so right he's normally calm and methodical. Just sometimes the universe tells him he fucked up and he's like "would you say that if I did this? *makes an utterly insane choice*"

ohhh this is something I have Thoughts on for sure. don't get me wrong! I think xue yang does have manic periods and will get into a mode where he's not sleeping for three days because he has a project to work on and sleep is boring, a-yao, leave me alone. but I think the degree to which xue yang is - prior to xiao xingchen's death - actually as unhinged as he's sometimes painted is...it's not pretending but it is playing up an aspect of his personality to make people uncomfortable or nervous or scared, both because it's how he makes damn sure he's not going to be forgotten or ignored (have talked about that elsewhere) and because it's what people expect from him, so why not.

(it also means people underestimate him and while I think xue yang has a kind of complicated relationship with that it is useful sometimes.)

I do think a solid 30% of xue yang's behavior is looking at what people expect from him, going "oh you are like a little baby. watch this" and doing worse. i.e. if people are going to assume he's basically a wild animal then he's going to be the meanest wild animal they've ever seen. I think the fact that he settles relatively easily into playing a role where that's very much not the case, where nobody is looking at him like that (or at least nobody who is in a position to look down on him, qingqing is too short), is somewhat indicative.

he has more control over himself and his behavior than most people realize; I think the perception (both in universe and in fandom) is that he's sort of a creature of id, driven purely by impulse and almost instinctual reaction, and I don't think that's actually accurate to what we see of him most of the time. he's certainly very clever, and good enough at what he does to attract the attention of powerful people. jin guangshan finds him valuable enough to alienate and anger another sect leader about it. give Xue Yang a puzzle and if he's interested he'll sit down and pick at it until he figures it out, unless it's too easy, then it's just boring.

it's also notable to me that when xue yang is angry at someone, he doesn't actually act immediately. he's very willing to wait and plan to figure out how to really twist the knife in someone. the choice to go after song lan's temple, and song lan himself, rather than directly targeting xiao xingchen, might be a practical one, but it's also a very deliberate and targeted attack that's aimed right at xiao xingchen's stated purpose: "you say you're here to protect people? look, you can't even protect your friend and his temple, and now they've suffered because of you." that's not, like, an immediate and explosive reaction, it's a very purposeful act that has thought and planning behind it.

now, does xue yang make impulsive snap decisions, frequently involving violence? sure. but the most notable of those is, I would argue, at the two absolute nadir moments of xue yang's life. the first one being when xiao xingchen finds out who he is and vehemently rejects him - xue yang's reaction there feels like much more of an instinctive lashing out, and it's happening because for the first time in his life since he was very young, someone who actually has the ability to hurt his feelings has hurt his feelings and it feels real bad! doesn't like that! so he reacts to make it stop, and then keeps going and pushing until xiao xingchen breaks, and then after that it's pretty clear to me that he sort of shocks back to reality and spends the next eight years going "no, wait, I take it back." or, well, trying.

and then also when he dies. when wei wuxian goads him about what he did to chang ping and the implications thereof regarding xue yang's own feelings of (unnacknowledged, unrecognized) guilt, xue yang absolutely loses it, gets reckless and careless and ultimately it's that, with a-qing's help, which gets him killed.

oh, wait, one other place I think xue yang loses control of himself and acts without really thinking it through, and that's killing a-qing. I have less textual evidence for this (though I don't think it's completely absent), but it's definitely my headcanon.

outside of those moments, though - aka the ones that get really bad - I don't think xue yang is as off the chain as he sort of...gives off the air of being. I don't know that I'd call him calm, but I would say that he has the ability, most of the time, to exercise at least a modicum of self control.

at least, before xiao xingchen's death. frankly, after that I think he does very much lose his mind a little, but, you know. I think that's understandable, under the circumstances.

[riddlerosehearts]

figured out how to edit the game files and combine some mods so i could try out different things with gale's earring because i have a lot of thoughts... also gale's earring should really be positioned lower but i'm having an issue with one of the mods, oh well

[muirneach]

idk i just hope the tournament organizers see this (and tbh probably inevitably rome also) as a real wakeup call as to how scheduling goes and how they need to give them a goddamn break. i honestly doubt it because i do not think any organizers really give a shit about the actual players (otherwise this would probably not have happened tbh) but i hope they get it together

[prismatoxic]

congrats on writing the fic that made a man text his (sort of estranged) dad. fr your portrayal of every single dynamic is so flawless and considerate. nobel prize.

THAT ACTUALLY DOES FEEL LIKE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT... i hope it goes well anon!!!

there's a lot to be said about people who did the wrong things but feel genuine remorse and want to get better, i think. i've been there (though not in a parent sense), and it's also what happened with my mom after i moved out, so i guess i kind of know how it is from both angles. on top of, you know, just writing what i know of who chilchuck is as a person (and assuming a lot of things about meijack and the others, lmao...)

[annoyingloudmicrowavecultist]

heartbroken by the new dw episode it felt like it was gonna be so so so good and then it tripped and fell on its face at the end

[aggravateddurian]

OCs Then and Now

Fellow choombattas on the NET are doing this, so I thought I'd throw my 2 eddies in.

I thought I'd share the evolution of Val and Dorian today, as Trey has not actually existed as a visible character for long. I will do an evolution for him as well, because I've made some changes on my weekend bug hunting hiatus.

Evolution - Valerie Ocampo-Gonzalez

24 October 2022 - Juiy 2023

October 2022 was the first time Val made it onto the screen. I was running the game on a laptop and had next to no idea how to use photo mode to a fraction of its potential.

She's had a few changes, and the Val you see today is the third revision of her design, and I think the final one, aside from offshoot appearances for special occasions, like my upcoming Trey x Val anniversary set.

Val's original vision was to be V's half-sister that he didn't get along with, as V was originally the POV character of Brother's Shadow, but as I worked with Val more, the viewpoint shifted. We know V's story already, and I felt that we should have another perspective on the Legend of Night City. In about December, I introduced the concept of Val's work with Militech, as well as her relationship with fellow OC, Trey Marshall.

I think Val's come a long way, both in terms of her story and in my VP skill.

Evolution - Dorian Bautista

14 October 2022 - July 2023

Dorian also came into existence in 2022. Part of the reason for his creation was mostly as a project to see how close I could get to creating myself as a Cyberpunk character. He's changed quite a bit, some changes to his facial features to differentiate him from myself somewhat, as well as a unique wardrobe. Dorian's character has changed a lot as well. Starting off as a complete corpo-rat, I've given him some nuance, and I think readers will be impressed.

Earlier this year, I started 'The Picture of Dorian Bautista', a prequel series about what led to the events of Brother's Shadow, from the perspective of Dorian Bautista. That set up his link to Val through her mother, Arianna Gonzalez, and fleshed out his character a lot more. Despite being a man of faith, inherited from the Filipino side of his family, he's often conflicted about his work, and gets into conflict with his peers and superiors inside Militech.

Conclusion

I think the biggest changes for me have been about my camera angles, shot sizes and particularly my lighting. My lighting journey is probably the biggest thing. I always found lighting to be an issue, even in real life in a professional setting, but I think my lighting and camerawork have gotten a lot better. The amazing modders have also been important to allowing me to get shots this good.

I'm looking forward to putting out another one of these about Trey.

[shyvioletlife]

I think the thing that I'm still reeling the most over from the new episode is the reveal that rue is the reason why the marriage between Grebalba and Apollo was called off. Its been a rumor for ages - ever since the duel between wuvvy and hob - because of what hob implied in why the duel had happened. But rue really did have a hand in the engagement ending.

and it *makes sense*that they would do this, which is the most confounding part to me. Rue is the emissary of joy and fey titles are not something to be used lightly. They spoke against the Chorus about how their only goal has been to try and help people break out of the courtly airs and politicking and instead be moved by love and connection to one another. To dissolve the barriers between courts through their events. They've even spoken, perhaps a bit vaguely but wistfully, about dissolving the system of courts all together so that fey and magic are no longer contained. This ideology speaks to the wildness and chaos of joy, something that is never meant to be restrained if you are to feel the proper reaches of it.

They must have seen the engagement in the works and thought mainly of whether or not it actually brought any sense of joy and happiness to those involved. If its not what the heart wants, then why do it? Apollo was only involved for the politics of it all, so once they learned that they, presumably, stepped in and advocated for his happiness. They believed that what they did was right, even though since then they have learned what impacts this has made on the goblins through hob. But...just because it makes sense at first glance doesn't mean there isn't something rotten hiding underneath.

I think the missing puzzle piece in all of this is that, like many might suspect, the wedding between grebalba and apollo was going to be used by the court of wonder to consolidate even more magic. they get involved with courts, like the court of craft, call them sister, and steal every lick of magic that fuels the court from right under their noses. The court of wonder was planning on doing the same with the goblins, but therein lay the trouble. Goblins don't have magic. I think it highly likely that by the point this truth came to light, the court of wonder was already so deep into negotiations that they could not back out. They needed some excuse to break away but as we've seen the goblins can be wily and keen when the circumstances call for it, and there probably wasn't any wiggle room in the agreements already made.

Rue gave the court an excuse.

A part of me wants to think that this could be another example of rue having more power and influence than they themself realize, but that rings a little too false. Yes, they do have a lot of power and influence, but I highly doubt that them advocating for Apollo to follow his heart and break off the engagement would actually have held any weight if the Chorus or if Apollo himself had any other reason to go through with the marriage. Rue is very much a figurehead within the court and the Chorus and Apollo used that to their advantage. And its clear they want to continue to do so based on how the Chorus has invited them to become a member - not because they think rue inherently deserves to be one of them but because they want to use Rue's influence for their own gains.

Rue has expressed so many feelings of being an outsider, feeling rejected by their court and needing to put up mask after mask to be seen and accepted. Even if there is a discrepancy between how they perceive themself and their power vs how others are impacted by them...I just don't think the gulf would actually be so vast that they would have the power to annul an engagement on this scale entirely through their own influence.

[biografter]

wait are you telling me that prick is another word for di

[echoes-lighthouse]

hiiii! i saw that you selfship with VoxVal and it got me curious about echo's dynamic with them! (i read their description and it got me hooked :3) 🚩, 💚, 🧮 for echo and VoxVal! (dark/unconventional ask game ^^)

Awwww thank youuuuuu I'm glad that people are curious!!! >:D

🚩 What makes your selfship ‘dark’? Is it the dynamic? The way they met? A specific element of the relationship?

I think that the characters make it inherently dark, honestly: Vox and Val are not exactly the best characters and their tendency towards manipulation makes these selfships very fraught. Is there a time when Vox isn't watching? Is there a time that Val isn't watching me for a weakness that he can exploit?

💚 What do both of you want from the relationship? Are either of you getting it?

Oh, that's changed a lot.

Val originally wanted an employee, same as he always does. The term 'employee' here is covering a lot of ground, but generally refers to a person that is under his control.

It's harder for me to say what he wants from our relationship these days: is he genuinely enjoying the scenes and mainly just wanting that specific kind of break? I can't imagine he would hang onto me this long just for the distant possibility of breaking me from Asmodeus, but then I know he cares a lot about things that Belong to Asmodeus, which indirectly includes me.

I think that Vox originally wanted something from Valentino, if I'm being honest, and I got dragged into the middle of it. He wanted to know about our scenes, and he knew very well that he wouldn't get anywhere by asking either of us about it, so instead he approached me on his own terms.

I'm not sure if he's gotten that original question answered, but these days it seems like he's wanting a connection on clearly-negotiated terms. I can't blame him for that, with all the games that Overlords play with each other.

As for my own desires...

They're valuable connections, and I like having allies in the big city. I like working with both of them, in very different ways. (I could easily write an essay on more of that, if anyone wants to enable me.)

From Val, I do feel like I'm getting exactly what I want. I love the game that we're playing, I like how he handles his deals with me, and he's a pleasure to work with, by his own design.

From Vox... it's a bit harder. I think I'm getting in over my head with him, if I'm being honest. I feel like we're crossing some boundaries in the world of the professional and personal, which is the last thing that either of us needs. It's hardly the first time that it's happened, so I figure it'll work itself out one way or the other. No need to think too much about it! I'm sure it'll be fine.

🧮 If one of you has more power in the relationship, is there anything the other person does to undermine that power? How does the more powerful person feel about that?

That's a complicated one in this selfship! Most of my clients are undoubtedly more powerful than I am, both in terms of social standing and physical strength. However, I'm protected by my contracts with them in the scenes, and by my association with Asmodeus in the general world of Hell.

I don't think that these selfships would exist at all if there weren't that taste of equal ground at the same time as they feel ownership over me. That contrast is what allows my business to thrive in Hell, and I genuinely believe that.

[galestrings]

So the other races have chiefs, kings, or patriarchs. What do rito have? Do you trust your leaders?

"Ah -- have you come to negotiate with the Rito? Smart: in your time of need, you'll want to be standing behind our spears, make no mistake. Fear not: Master Revali is here to ensure your audience goes perfectly.

My people determine the authority of a person, not by blood, property, or wealth, but by his demonstrable knowledge. These are the Amou -- "Elders" in your tongue, although it is a bit of a misnomer: far too many Elders are dustier than the oldest fossils known to man, yes, but it's not a title reserved for the old.

No, regardless of the gray in your eyes, it's your lived experience that makes you an Elder. And at any given time, we may have one or, Spirits forbid, several, all bickering with each other over alliances and history and trade and other such esoteric nonsense.

No Elder is omnipotent, of course, nor are their rulings absolute on their own: each has his own brand of so-called wisdom, and the rest of us get the privilege of squabbling over it like agitated hens every time our neighbors sneeze. We may look more to one Elder over the others for guidance depending on the circumstances -- assuming we all agree on our priorities.

Tch. If only.

We've a few Elders at the moment, but I think I'm right to say Awka has the most weight to throw about right now; if you're looking for something passing for a representative of our interests, you'll want to speak to her. I expect she'll be sulking around somewhere near the village summit."

[solipsistful]

okay so more specifically

i was reading this paper that compares a few different types of "imagined persons" -- auditory verbal hallucinations, characters in dreams, tulpas (:V), and authors' fictional characters

comparing and contrasting, but it comes around to a broader theory that the more "practice" you have thinking about a particular imagined character, the more autonomous they feel -- basically a sort of "unconscious muscle memory" for thinking as someone else.

this is Literally the point of tulpamancy, so that checks out, sure; for auditory hallucinations and dream characters, the scholar comes up with the idea that thinking about "stock characters" also sorta acts as a sort of "practice" -- so the fact that a lot of voices are basically stereotypical figures might sorta suggest that the brain is basically "primed" to think in terms of these stereotypes, plus it matches some research out there that voices tend to grow more "complex" over time, sure, good.

but uh, we run into problems applying that to authors. the scholar himself even points out that it's usually stock characters who are experienced as the least autonomous and most boring, but that's not really a concern as they go on to explain that authors' characters always "begin to talk" after some way into the novel-writing process, and that it's most often the main characters who reach this level, certainly before any other characters

and that's where Serpent and i went "wait"

because like, for starters i can think of some specific instances myself where side characters turned, uh, chatty before the main ones (usually a sign that i have Chosen the wrong character to follow lol). and absolutely plenty of times where characters felt autonomous from the word "go", which the scholar says he basically has never seen before lmao.

and like, i confirmed this with another writery friend of ours that it's not like, impossible to be basically Immediately Channeling. (because it could very well have just been me and the fact that "chatty" in the past has arguably been "actually a headmate" :V)

and i'd argue that episode 17 of the diary of aliza schultz is also representing a version of this: writing that first feels like it's coming externally ("feeling alien", as some may put it), but as the first rush of discovery passes, it becomes a matter of much more mundane "process and inspiration" (which has been accurate to my experience: you can't run off of that channeling stuff forever, and it's noteworthy when a book is written all in a State like that -- like Annihilation apparently was :V)

(and previous episodes of TDoAS have indicated not wanting to view "process" as a particularly mystical or unknowable thing, that it's a technique and technology -- episode 14 in particular is what im thinking of there)

not that the paper im talking about is like, Super Bad or anything, or that authors who find their characters' voices only after putting in effort are Doing It Wrong or anything (this "long process until you hear a character's voice" seems to be what's going on for Serpent's current thing, lol) -- just that there really are counterexamples here that aren't being considered. :V

- ace