#why do they vex me so

[thefirstknife]

Speaking of weird things in the season already, I'm back with the obsession with names of things in the seasonal activity.

So in Riven's Lair, you get randomly assigned "missions" that change with each run. I believe there's five of them as I've played a lot of Riven's Lair so far and only got these five to rotate. Maybe there will be more in weeks to come!

Anyway, if you look in the top left corner when you start the activity, it will tell you the name of the mission you're on. The names that I've seen so far are:

Polysemy

Apophasis

Synchysis

Enthymeme

Tautology

Long post under:

These aren't random words! They're all related to language and rhetoric, which makes sense with the Ahamkara theme as Ahamkara are very dependent on the way language is used around them.

Polysemy is when words or symbols are capable of having multiple meanings. Apophasis is when you speak about something by denying it or mentioning it by saying it's not required to be mentioned (def check examples on wikipedia if this is confusing). Synchysis is also a way of speaking in a way that deliberately messes up the order of words to confuse or surprise the person you're speaking to. Enthymeme is a type of an argument where you construct a sentence which tells some sort of a fact by omitting the way you came to that conclusion because the fact should be obvious on its own (again, check wiki for examples, it will be easier to understand). And tautology has a meaning in both language and logic; in language, a tautology is a statement that repeats something, adding redundant information and in logic, a tautology is a logical formula in which a sentence is constructed in a way that every interpretation of the sentence is true.

I doubt these words were chosen randomly and there might be more or perhaps more will cycle in during weeks to come. But even with just this, there's a pattern. I'm not sure which meaning of tautology is being used here; possibly the language one because it fits the rest, but the logic interpretation could also be possible.

The first week's mission was also specifically Polysemy:

I assume next weeks we'll probably do other specific ones in some order, which would also mean there should be at least 2 more. I'm wondering if there's some sort of a reason why these specific words were chosen. Obviously they all relate to forms of speaking and language which is the primary way that Ahamkara use to affect reality; speaking in specific terminology and using particular phrases and language forms is important to them and when speaking to them.

But given the involvement of the Vex, it also reminded me of the lore book Aspect in which every chapter is named after grammatical, linguistic and logic terms. Aspect is also specifically related to the Black Garden and Sol Divisive. Not only that, but Aspect deals with, among other things, the fate of the Ishtar scientists and their copies in the Vex Network, and primarily uses Chioma as their main viewpoint, and the whole situation with Neomuna and Veil Logs has returned my interest in this lore book.

I feel like it isn't a coincidence that we've spent essentially the entire year reacquainting ourselves with Chioma and Maya and Ishtar as a whole only to bring back Sol Divisive and the Black Garden back in the final season in this way. As the Veil Logs told us, one of Maya's copies interfered with one of the logs, sending signals, and Chioma, at the end of her life, contacted the Vex presumably to be consumed by the network so she could possibly reunite with one of the copies of Maya in there.

This brought me also to the mysterious signal from Scatter Signal lore tab in which Osiris tracks down some sort of a signal that seems to be talking about the Vex, but spoken in a strange way. So I began thinking that this signal might be coming from Chioma, consumed by the Vex, from the Vex Network, reaching out to the man who's been studying her, living in Neomuna and researching the Veil for months. Specifically, the final Veil Log mentioned a few similar words and phrases being repeated. Specifically, when Osiris mentions that Chioma was researching "the entaglement of Light and Dark" and when Nimbus and Osiris discuss "parallel connections and parallel energy fields;" then in the Scatter Signal message there's mention of how, presumably, the Vex are trying to "move from parallel to entanglement." The Veil Log also talks about how the Witness can communicate through our Ghosts and how that connection might be going both ways; Scatter Signal also mentions "bridging communion with a Voice."

Copies of Chioma and the other scientists (with the help of Praedyth) once tried to use the Black Garden to send a message out of the Vex Network, detailed in Aspect. We don't know if they succeeded (at least in our current timeline). The Black Garden has been a big focus in Lightfall almost out of nowhere in such an immensely world-changing way (with the explanation of the Black Heart), and it will still be important this season with the exotic mission. It's a very pleasing loop of the story; everything started with the Black Garden in D1 and everything just before TFS might end with it. I'm also incredibly intrigued by the fact that the returning weapons from Undying (a season about the Sol Divisive and the Black Garden) have returned with a new perk called nano-munitions: very Neomuna-sounding name. Perhaps certain Ishtar scientists are influencing the Vex or extending a helping hand to us.

The questions that remain: how does this tie back to the Ahamkara? Why are the Vex interested in the Ahamkara? What do the Ahamkara have to do with the Black Garden? What's with all the strange language terminology that deals with double meanings and ways to confuse? Is it just regular Ahamkara shenanigans to trick us? To trick the Vex? Maybe both?

The point is, I don't think this is as simple as Riven just being sad that all the Ahamkara are dead and wanting to secure her clutch. Nothing is ever simple with the Ahamkara and nothing is ever simple with the Vex; and now we're dealing with both. And somewhere in all of this, there is also a concerning involvement of the Black Garden that connects to both of these elements. At the end of it all, there's us, who rely on this specific combination of elements to get through the portal, pursue the Witness and save the universe.

Spreading the brain worms to the rest of y'all to think about. If you spot any other mission names, feel free to share, though I think that if they happen, they might happen in the coming weeks. Also as I mentioned before, I know there's been leaks and lore tabs unlocking early on Ishtar: I've not seen any leaks or cutscenes and have not read any lore tabs that aren't explicitly visible in-game so if there's a really simple answer in that leaked material, I don't know about it and don't want to know about it so please don't spoil to me or to others!

[dragonpyre]

I genuinely believe all hard core cosplayers have to have at least some level of masochism

[blorbologist]

quietly...

I... might have the prologue and first chapter for my next longfic done.

I wouldn't start regularly posting until I have a good buffer, but I'm mighty tempted to post this taste. Just 'cause it's been a while. and i miss it

[lovesickhoneybee]

“Kate looked down to see if there was some way she might discreetly step on his foot again. “I have very thick boots, Miss Sheffield,” he said.”

- TVWLM

Kate is so done with him 😬

Also can we appreciate the framing? In every scene that Kate is angry with Anthony, he is always in the frame.

[unopenablebox]

look. most people on tumblr, like most people everywhere, are just kind of innumerate, at least in slightly unexpected cases theyre asked to discuss on polls. they can't demonstrate an understanding of probability and they also don't understand compound interest. this is bad, but we can't fix it by explaining on the polls at length why they are wrong, because people on tumblr, in a specific manner but also still pretty much like people everywhere, think you are a fun-ruining evil stemlord who automatically loses the argument and should be put to death as the oppressor if you try to explain math to them

[dilfsuzanneyk]

the citizens of Albuquerque when they see him out and about again

[avephelis]

creative urges ONCE AGAIN only hitting when i am BUSY FOR FIVE HOUR. like wow i can't WAIT to get home to my tablet and instantly lose all motivation

[thetorturedarchives]

friend(?): hey hey hey!!!! do you wanna do something together???

me: *dont want to seem too eager, that turns people off* sure.

*months pass*

me: hm we haven't talked in a while, maybe i should initiate something? but what if it's weird since we haven't hung out in ages? i'll just send a short message to break the ice.

*ghosted*

ALTERNATIVE SCENARIO

friend(?): hey hey hey!!!!! do you wanna do something together???

me: *matching their energy* okay!!! sounds great when and where!!!

friend: lmao um. whenever is fine i guess

me: *wracking my brains to figure out what part of that i got wrong* haha yeah whenever is fine with me too

*after hanging out*

me: so do you wanna do something at another time?

them: mehh. im like really busy this year

me: okay no problem! i'll just text you periodically so we can continue a low-maintenance relationship in the meantime.

*ghosted*

[muku-gc]

I was literally forced to post this @itsmergb

[spinjitsuburst]

once again thinking a Little Too Hard about the ice emperor and the earth dragon i think that fic permanently altered my brain chemistry

[primsycoldbottles]

need that post thats like Drawing sucks shit and ass but the only thing that sucks worse is Not making art

[breadboylovin]

they should NOT have let a gay man go to livemind my crush on riley is getting to embarrassing levels again

[miqojak]

.

[dilfsuzanneyk]

why does socialising and shit have to include doing mental olympics and telepathy. why can't everyone just say what they mean and ask for what they want.

[antique-forvalaka]

Worried im gonna develop a Big Fucking Jawline cuz i keep catching myself gnashing my teeth

[andi-o-geyser]

just watched Top Gun: Maverick, and I can’t be the only one who noticed that Rooster and Hangman absolutely radiate hostile ex boyfriend energy, right? I hate to say that I can only report what I see, folks, and the fact is that those two have something going on