tomatosauce5

[tomatosauce5]

So I'm guessing that with the latest chapter we saw the end of what we will consider "early Seek" when the serial is done. And I think isolation and alienation have been common themes in all three POVs.

A has a secret that nobody can find out. The relationship between Basil and her is strained and her celebrity status and power keep pushing the people she likes away.

Winnie is a misfit by culture and loner by nature. Every time she actually starts making connections she gets transplanted somewhere new and has to deal with a completely new set of characters. Not to mention Toby being put on mute for so long.

Orion doesn't know anything about his companions - he barely knows anything about himself. And many of the glyphs seem custom made to erode trust between people.

While I appreciate the atmosphere this creates I really hope that we won't have this for the entire run of the serial. Character dynamics and large supporting casts are some of Wildbows biggest strengths and Seek is missing some of the fun of the other serials. Here's to hoping Winnie gets to have a nice little crew soon.

[tomatosauce5]

It's so strange to me how many of the key techno-fascist figures are purportedly sci-fi fans. People like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk want to colonize the stars ... but they want to do it with reactionary right-wing beliefs?

Like they really think there are going to be christian marriages on our generation ships? Our space stations will have gender segregation? People will mod every part of their body but then base their gender on their at-birth genitals?

Technological progress without social progress just seems so silly to me. Progressive societies in sci-fi just feel much more believable. Of course James Holden from The Expanse has an 8-person polycule for his parents and they all gave DNA to sire him. Of course gender and sex are completely malleable in Seek and heteronormativity is something for fringe subcultures. The societies in these books are by no means utopian but their progressiveness in gender and sexuality just feel natural in these settings.

I think Octavia Butler had a point when in her Parable duology she came up with Earthseed as a religion that could be a societal blueprint for a spacefaring humanity. The core tenet of Earthseed is that 'God is Change' and it's all about accepting the reality of change while recognizing your own agency in it. Not that we necessarily need a religion like that but I do think that nobody who fears change will make it to the stars.

[tomatosauce5]

You know what? I actually think Victoria is the coolest Wildbow protagonist (after Lucy). Her Antares outfit is amazing and when she started lugging around the giant Dragon gun I thought that was the most badass shit ever.

It's so satisfying to see her piece together her own identity in Ward and to see how far she has come from being Glory Girl. She's the kind of person who visits children in hospitals, goes the extra mile to make a fans day, supervises a troubled teen cape team and supports other junior teams. Like Taylor she wants everyone working together but she actually has constructive ideas on how to build up communities.

It can get a bit exhausting to be in her head for so long but if I was living on Gimel? If I saw Antares in the media? Sure - I'd be a Victoria Dallon fan. I'd even get a poster and one or two trading cards.

I’m gonna need everyone in this fandom to stop posting and tagging things I don’t like, and start posting and tagging things I do like

[tomatosauce5]

The latest Seek chapters have me convinced that Winnie will figure out A's secret and the back channel.

1. Her family uses a subsonic language to communicate in secret.

2. She is trained in sabotage and subterfuge and knows how to look for extremely subtle ways to communicate.

3. Her relationship with Toby makes her aware of Basil's agency in the relationship. She already considers him a trickster and figured out the sex tape tampering.

4. Toby is the same onboard model as Basil and should be able to decode the back channel when they discover it.

5. Winnie is an A super fan and has probably watched and experienced copious amounts of her footage.

I think these points make it possible that among billions of fans Winnie could be one of the only people to figure out the secret and I can't wait to see that unfold.

[tomatosauce5]

I love Seek's takes on celebrity culture and parasocial relationships. In the chapter with the Inui attack we find out that it's all an AR event. The part that actually has huge stakes and could actually get some people killed is not the alien uprising but actually the love triangle going on in the background.

Then, when Winnie is in prison, she one day feels the entire atmosphere shift like something big happened in the outside world. Another terrorist attack? Geopolitical event? Nope - it's a leaked sex tape. And it's kinda funny in its ridiculousness but also totally gross in how deeply it violates the privacy of these minors.

It seems over the top but when you look at how people treat celebrities and streamers today you can totally see it happening. Especially when it's fueled by the deep parasocial connection of knowing more about these people through their onboards than you could ever know about a friend or even partner today.

[tomatosauce5]

On Wurmple Research

A text conversation I had with my friends today

Me:

Hey guys I'm so cooked. I was thinking about Wurmple as a model system to study if the branched Pokemon evolutions could have an epigenetic explanation. And I figured that to do that you would first have to rule out genetic influences.

You would have to to know the IVs of your experiment Wurmples to be sure that they don't influence the evolution. Method wise I would test these values by using moves under defined conditions. Such as 3 different Woopers using Water Gun on the lvl.1 Wurmple 3 times to estimate the special defense.

This would work for all values but special attack. The problem is that Wurmple does not learn any special moves - neither by TMs nor egg moves nor tutoring. The special attack would be the only genetic variable that you could never be sure about.

Unless you evolve the Wurmple until it learns a special move. But then you would have to avoid distributing EVs as that could influence the experimental observations.

So you would have to level them using rare candies and that would eat into the lab budget so hard :(

Friend A:

Well there are still the berries that lower EVs in exchange for friendship points. That might be the more economical option

Me:

Those are heavily regulated under the Pokemon Welfare Act. You can only use a few of them per Pokemon. Ever since the team plasma protests there are too many restrictions because of so-called "Pokemon cruelty"

Friend A:

Team plasma ruining everything again...

Friend B:

Gaining friendship points with the Wurmples could also pose potential compliance problems, right? (and falsify experiments) I think EXP shares would be a good long-term investment

Friend A:

That's right EXP shares also don't distribute EVs, pretty smart actually

Me:

The standard models, sure - but those only really work on standard team sizes of 4-6. For my 300 Wurmple cohort I would need an industrial grade EXP share. You know how expensive those are? I might as well go bike shopping in Cerulean City

Friend B:

What are undergrads for? You just form 60 teams with 5 Wurmples each and a fighting pokemon (not the type, just one that does the fighting) that the undergrads have to bring themselves. Then you rotate the Wurmples every 5 levels to limit friendship gain (or does that just happen if they are the ones fighting?)

Me:

Oh I like that! 5 Wurmples is anyway already pretty much the team of the average bug catcher

[tomatosauce5]

It could also be a place that sells Winnie's liquid food packets. Maybe "Slurp it!" or "Goop Mogul" or "Sludge Shack"

One essential trope of Wildbow world building that is currently missing from Seek (unless I’m forgetting something) is a fictional eatery with a very unappetizing name, such as Fugly Bob’s, Roadkill, or Yeast Inception. I hope it’s a restaurant that A is contractually obligated to advertise for.

[tomatosauce5]

With all the complicated problems that Winnie and Basil have to deal with it's really nice to get chapters with Orion who only has to worry about simple things like turning insane and watching his friends get murdered by robot animals.

[tomatosauce5]

What exactly happened in arc 17 of Pale again? I made this timeline as a community resource to help wrangle this enormous book.

Full and I mean full spoilers for Pale below!

Imgur link for higher quality image. Google docs link to Phaerlax' Pale amalgam sheet, which this document was based on. I'm not sure if people on Tumblr are even aware of this incredible resource since it was mostly a Reddit/Discord thing. It has chapter synopses, a fanart index and character lists!

[tomatosauce5]

It's very telling that A is still stuck with her placeholder name. Her parents wanted her to enter the world as a blank slate with full potential for self-actualization. But purpose is hard to find in Seek's post-scarcity society. A wants to be an artist but an audience seems unreachable in a world flooded with AI-art.

Then, the science center attack occurs. A finally finds the audience she desires and she gets to inspire billions of people. The cruel twist? None of it is her. She hates herself for it but she feels like she has no choice but to let Basil use her body to create what is also, essentially, AI-art.

Elabre Systems integrates her into the perfectly consumer-tailored and focus-tested Generation Colors with a completely white color scheme. She remains a white canvas while Basil and Elabre systems are the ones who paint.

[tomatosauce5]

I don't think it's an absurd question. To me, asking yourself what you would have done in a character's place can be a valid way to engage with a work - especially when it comes to moral dilemmas.

Killing the Alabaster and imprisoning Kira-Lynn are both instances where the girls' usual methods fail them and they are forced to take messy options. Of course putting someone in magical prison sucks but I think it's role is to show that when you take political action there won't always be clean solutions that allow you to perfectly maintain the moral high ground.

I actually really like you pulling out the parallel between Thea's battery and the Kennet Found prison. And I think going into the direction you're talking about with the girls falling into the patterns of their antagonists could have been very interesting.

I just think the story works well as it is. I love the positive outlook that for determined, good-hearted people making positive change is possible. Even if the girls have to take some shitty options along the way I don't think that makes them hypocrites and I don't think the story is worse for them not being such.

Wouldn't it be fucked up if in Late Pale there was a practioner who had a magical battery, in which was trapped the snippings of the souls of children.

And then what if the protagonists stole said battery to make their own realm of magical bureaucracy. And that realm ended up being used as a forever prison for a child, who the protagonists declare to be irredeemably evil. A prison in which she is not even allowed to express herself with a simple rude hand gesture.

Because perhaps the power source of the battery might encourage whatever realm created with it to trap children.

Wouldn't that be fucked up.

[tomatosauce5]

Finally finished my Pact reread! Or more like re-listen because I listened to Speedchuck's amazing audiobook. Previously I would have ranked Pact as my least favorite Wildbow work. I still liked it but it was just too exhausting to read and had some parts where I got stuck. The reread really made me appreciate what Pact was doing much more. Knowing about Blake's true nature made it easier to for me to mesh with his narration and understand why he never rests and always throws himself at the next problem. His lowest points are also much easier to get through when you at least have the certainty of knowing what comes next. Some of my favorite moments / aspects this time around were:

Many people have said this but the Abyss is just soo cool. The Drains, the Tenements, the Library - they're all dripping with character and even though the individual rules aren't always super clear you just get how it operates at some point. It feels like a whole character, making its deals, not being explicitly malevolent but always asking you to give something up and change. The scene where it is asking Blake to become a gatekeeper might be my favorite scene in the book.

The Barber is amazing. Chekhov's shears build up dread from the very early chapters and when he gets loose he delivers on all fronts. He's absolutely terrifying in his appearance, the sounds of his shears and the way how it just all seems so effortless to him.

I love the Thorburns! Especially when the extended family re-enters the story at the perfect time. It's immensely gratifying to see these people finally have to deal with the magical horrors after all their petty bullshit. But then they actually grow as people a bit and pull their bullshit on the antagonists and you start rooting for them a little.

It's such a choice to come up with a world and magic system as complicated as the Otherverse and then focus the story fairly tightly around diabolism as this one overcentralizing aspect. If Pale didn't exist it would almost be a shame but as it stands, Pact fills out it's niche wonderfully. Pale paints a much broader picture but Pact has such an interesting microcosm of people who think about the practice in very particular ways and whose experiences are shaped by their karma and demonic influences.

You might not notice this if you are focused on how much they all hate Blake but Pact's supporting cast is actually so good. Everyone loves Evan and Green Eyes but Tyler, Alister, Molly, Peter, Ellie, Nick, Eva - just to name a few. Otherverse supporting characters just hit different.

The central drama between Blake and Rose is so thematically strong. On the reread it's easier to emphasize with Rose and recognize Blake's unreliable narration towards her. Their situation is absolutely tragic and a great metaphor for generational trauma. I love the later parts of the story where Blake decides to forfeit their struggle in a decision that goes deeply against his nature but rebels against the labels and expectations placed on him. Rose, in turn, goes on to accept the possession of her body by her "evil" doppelganger and someone her instincts are telling her to hate.

So yeah. I now get why Pact is so many people's favorite on this website. It's definitely Wildbow's most tightly wrapped thematic package and filled with great moments that can fly under the radar in the stress of a first read.

[tomatosauce5]

I was playing 20 questions with friends the other day and the way we play it you get a note with the character you have to guess taped on your forehead. Halfway through the game I had to go to the bathroom and there it was basically like I was in Seek webserial.

The bathroom mirror had turned into a cognito hazard that I had to avoid looking at at all costs. Routine and instinct were telling me to look but if I did the sigil on my forehead would scramble my brain and do irreparable damage (telling me my friends had picked Britney Spears for me and spoiling the game).

In the end I managed not to look tho so I figure I'm pretty much ready for the DEER now.

[tomatosauce5]

If there was no baggage attached (parental control settings / limited product support / inbuilt censorship) - could you see yourself living with an onboard?

[tomatosauce5]

Hunter x Hunter's succession war arc continues to be incredible. I can barely fathom how this guy who is basically crippled by back pain is writing one of the most ambitious arcs the medium has ever seen. Like in one moment Togashi makes an author comment saying that he has trouble going to the toilet alone and then he goes "Yeah my goal here is to break the record for the most named characters in a manga arc". If I had to describe the succession war in one word it would be 'dense'. The amount of characters is staggering and they are all crammed into what is basically a single location. I mean sure - technically the Black Whale has it's different tiers but as the arc continues more and more characters are passing between them and plot lines are starting to converge. And the number of plotlines, man. The succession war as a whole, Nasubi's true plan, Kurapika vs Tserriednich, Beyond's plan, the fake dark continent, the mafia war, Morena's plan, the Troupe vs Hisoka - I could go on and on. For the last 50 chapters this dude has just been layering plot lines and factions on top of each other to create this insanely tight-knit net of plot threads. This only works because each individual chapter is also incredibly dense. I mean the number of words has been memed to death but people don't talk enough about the paneling. I wouldn't be surprised if HxH has one of the highest panel to page ratios in the medium. Sure Togashi likes introducing characters but he also constantly takes the time to show you their reactions in these small facial expression panels. He is a master of efficient characterization.

The succession war shows what can happen if you let a talented artist work without time or money constraints. This guy has produced two really popular manga series and his wife wrote Sailor Moon. At this point Togashi is only doing it out of love for the craft. With 30 more chapters now on the horizon we might actually see the succession war reach it's conclusion in our life times. It will be a herculean task to write a satisfying conclusion to this monster of an arc but if anyone can pull it off - it's him.

[tomatosauce5]

The Pact reread goes unbelievably hard. The big reveals are being almost blatantly foreshadowed and it's so much fun to see people lie to Blake while speaking Truth. It's also really rewarding to go through the Story again with full Otherverse knowledge. Puts into perspective how much out of his depth Blake really is and how incredible it is that he even gets as far as he does.

Knowing what comes next also cuts down on some of the bleakness and makes the blistering pace feel more manageable. Even though those are surely aspects that make the first read so special I think the reread is an overall more enjoyable reading experience.

I really can not recommend it enough - especially if you haven't yet listened to Speedchuck's amazing audiobook.

You think the Otherverse doesn't have an ideal reading order? Wrong. It's Pact -> Pale -> Pact again