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Does anyone else find this resemblance incredibly ominous?
This is not the first time a Jack has lost an arm to a caliginous queen.
From Clover’s perspective, the fight between Karkat and Clover is a leprechaun mating ritual.
Instead their charms comprise a spectral continuum of more su8tly varying types of relationships, most of which are esta8lished in mutual chicanery, such as the exchange of pranks, coy riddles, slapstick shenanigans, and games of chance.
ARANEA: No charm is specifically tied to procre8tion, though any type of relationship could 8egin waxing concupiscent if lady luck should so decide. Certain charm com8in8tions are known to 8e more conducive to fertility than others. If the leprechaun pair has 8een so 8lessed, they will 8egin an ela8orate coupling procedure culmin8ting in a lively m8ting jig. The jigs are specific to the charms of course, similar to how different kinds of music lend themselves to various styles of dance.
A sta8le relationship consisting of three or more charms is called a trove. These advanced relationships are often viewed as the ideal end result for a romance, much the way certain pairing rituals are for humans.
Clover’s eyes even flash the star-heart-horseshoe charm when Karkat hogties him.
Karkat is a Blood player, the aspect of bonds and relationships. Even though Clover is extremely lucky, and thus generally unbeatable, Karkat defeats him by unknowingly forming a bond with Clover (and literally binding him).
I highly doubt Vriska was involved with that, considering this is what she said about Jack English:
VRISKA: This is the Jack n8tive to the session we're in now. VRISKA: Somehow he got possessed 8y, or like, INFUSED with...? Lord English's crazy, ridiculously destructive magical energy. VRISKA: I have no idea why or how this happened, how it's theoretically even possi8le, or why we should actually care. VRISKA: The fact of the matter is, it happened, and now we have to deal with this hideous rain8ow-eyed monstrosity.
She doesn’t seem to know or care about it. Which implies it was still Gamzee, because, well, who else?
So two-thirds of LOTAK was destroyed when Jack English’s head exploded and formed a black hole.
Dave, Terezi, and a decapitated Dirk all made it off the planet, thanks to Dave’s Time powers. But you know who almost certainly was still on LOTAK at the time?
Gamzee has not had the opportunity to go back in time and give Lil Cal to Jack to create Jack English in the first place. If Gamzee is dead, this is a paradox.
The song “Eternity, Served Cold” plays in both [S] Caliborn: Enter and [S] Collide. There is some overlap, but the first half of the song plays in the former, and the second half in Collide.
[S] Caliborn: Enter ends here:
And in [S] Collide, when the rest of the song begins to play, it starts here:
This has to be intentional and significant.
So two-thirds of LOTAK was destroyed when Jack English’s head exploded and formed a black hole.
Dave, Terezi, and a decapitated Dirk all made it off the planet, thanks to Dave’s Time powers. But you know who almost certainly was still on LOTAK at the time?
Gamzee has not had the opportunity to go back in time and give Lil Cal to Jack to create Jack English in the first place. If Gamzee is dead, this is a paradox.
I am getting some serious The Matrix vibes.
JAKE: [Lil Sebastian] would be PERFECT for this tea party! JAKE: Like the white rabbit and all.
Remember both Neo and Alice followed the White Rabbit.
JAKE: Nepeta right? You must be the alice of the group. JAKE: That would make sense! Since you just got here and appear to be very confused about this situation. JAKE: By my estimation that makes you a dead ringer for the alice of this tea party!
I knew it! I totally knew it!
TWO NANNASPRITES! Which means both Jaspers AND Nanna tagged along on LOWAS and survived the retcon. Which makes it even more likely that the other sprites---particularly Davesprite---did too.
Also, Nannasprite seems to be pre-retcon...
NANNASPRITE: Yes, I tended to him and his sister for several years, baked for them, lent a sympathetic ear when needed...
NANNASPRITE: It was quite freeing in a way! I had a wonderful three years on that ship with those lovely children. I thought little of what challenges were ahead.
So the other Nannasprite is post-retcon.
UU: . . . yoU have already spent a long time gathering intelligence Unbeknownst to the aUthorities.
!CALLIOPE: my soul would have to wait here. !CALLIOPE: for what felt like a very, very long time. CALLIOPE: wait for what? !CALLIOPE: you. !CALLIOPE: echidna told me that your visit would be my signal.
UU: how mUch more do yoU expect to accUmUlate even if yoU coUld stay Undetected? UU: and how mUch strategic advantage is left to gain by delaying yoUr discovery for mUch longer?
UU: as i told yoU earlier, my brother is hUnting for me. so i have created a little sanctUary in space to stay hidden from him. UU: . . . he is highly sensitive to my presence, so it is very easy for me to get his attention if i'm not carefUl.
CALLIOPE: this is it then, is it? CALLIOPE: am i to spend the rest of eternity hiding inside this vortex? CALLIOPE: how can i go in search of myself if i am blown to smithereens the moment i set foot oUtside? CALLIOPE: maybe the trUth is... CALLIOPE: sUch a fate woUld be preferable to this. CALLIOPE: i am so dreadfUlly lonely. u_u
UU: i say the time to make a stand is now!
UU: make yoUr presence known. let them see that the [mUse] is awake, and make it abUndantly clear what that means.
[T]hose in the territory of a good cheru8 will likely come to view it as a protector, waiting quietly for millenia in deep space, ready to attack any encroaching threat.
UU: perhaps it is their tUrn to be nervoUs? to cower in the shadows and live in Uncertainty?
UU: i mUst remain hidden from everyone for as long as i can. TG: why? TG: why not come out and be all like TG: here i am yo its me! secret weapon ghost callie ;)
UU: that is my advice. do with it as yoU will.
!CALLIOPE: live.
Caliborn’s session consists of pool ball planets he has to sink in order...
...Saving the 8-ball planet for last.
Similarly, Lord English is destroying dream bubbles and cracking paradox space in a procession, seeking to destroy Calliope:
UU: now he is completely obsessed with finding my soUl and wiping me oUt for good, even if it means tearing apart the reality that sUrroUnds Us. UU: he will never feel he has won Until all traces of me are gone.
And where is Calliope?
In a dream bubble resembling an 8-ball, the final ball to sink in order to win the game.
Suddenly this seems extremely relevant:
TT: But I'm confident in my plan. I have it under control. GA: Your Hubris Is Really Astonishing GA: Easily Twice The Mass Of A Universe I Think GA: That It Hasnt Collapsed Upon Itself Into A Tiny Lavender Singularity Is The Most Striking Marvel Paradox Space Has Coughed Up Yet TT: Maybe it did? TT: Maybe that's what went wrong. TT: We figured it out!
Hey, remember that time two Kernelsprites prototyped each other?
Remember how that basically created a black hole that sucked in an entire planet?
Remember that other time two sprites prototyped each other?
Jasprosesprite^2 looks like Rose’s dream self because princess.
Jaspers + Eldritch Princess + Rose. Rose is the princess of Derse’s moon. Her dream pajamas are princess clothes.
So JASPROSESPRITE^2. Has a full body. Instead of a ghost butt. And looks like Rose’s dream self. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!
what say you that Kanaya's and Karkat's visit to Echidna will still end up be the same choice being asked of them? Jade's quest require resolution post-scratch, John's quest ended up factoring things that APPEAR to be outside sburb's programming (retcon powers), so perhaps Echidna of the troll session was asking a task of Kanaya that's only resolved across 3 sessions(!) so it appeared impossible to her?
Could be. Echidna may very well give both Kanaya and Karkat a second chance to rectify their previous actions. Kanaya, the same “impossible” task as before, which she may accept this time. Karkat, the opportunity to set right his previous mistake of rushing the frog breeding which resulted in the kids’ cancerous universe. (Which wasn’t entirely his fault, but he certainly blames himself for it.)
Maybe Kanaya and Karkat will sendificate the Genesis Frog to Jade in the past. (That still needs to be resolved.) Maybe they’ll breed a second Genesis Frog, so there will be one that becomes the Cherubs’ universe and another that becomes a universe for a new instance of Paradox Space.
If there ends up being two Genesis Frogs, maybe one of these frogs is the “perfect” one from the Trolls’ session that they never found and bred. Echidna could certainly help them with that, and it could easily relate to an “impossible” task that would also be resolved across multiple sessions.
Reflection on the 5/13/15 update with potential strategies, considerations, and predictions.
The best team to face the Becs would ironically be the "least important/effective" characters: Tavros, Jaspers, and the Mayor---plus Jade and GCat.
Jaspers could be a great distraction for them because cat. Actually, there’s probably even two of them around.
Tavros could use his communing abilities to control the Becs, plus potentially GCat to use as a distraction.
The Mayor would probably be safe because PM is his friend. He’s destined to face Bec Noir, anyway.
Jade, either asleep or awake, would occupy the Becs' attention, be safe from them (and protected by them!), and has the same First Guardian abilities.
As long as the Condesce is sufficiently distracted, they'd all be good.
Jack English vs. Dirk, Dave, and possibly surprise Davesprite would make a nice callback to when Bro and Davesprite fought against Jack on LOWAS. Remember how the final prototyping gave him First Guardian powers, which turned the tide of battle?
What if that happens with Jack English, such as obtaining the golden cuestaff and that very same ring? LOWAS (I assume it’s there now) is one of the closest planets to Jack English, too, so the battle could occur in the very same spot!
If Davesprite is around, he risks being influenced by the Condesce like Jade, since he’s part bird.
The idea of Karkat facing his old frienemy Spades Slick is delicious. If anyone can convince Slick to form an alliance, it's Karkat.
Any of the trolls facing the Condesce is probably dangerous because of her manipulation powers. That mostly just leaves the kids.
Nannasprite's probably around. She'd be great as part of the healing team, since she's alt!Jane and has healing abilities, too.
If there’s an extra Nannasprite who tagged along on LOWAS, even better.
Remember Casey's undead army on LOMAX? That has potential to show up again, too. If the Condesce uses her powers to control them, BAD NEWS. If not, allies ahoy! I imagine the golden battleship is still there, too, since Aranea wasn't around to move it; they could use that, as well.
During the fracas, Gamzee will probably escape. (Don't turn your back on the body!) Plus, he most certainly will travel back in time to at least give Lil Cal to CD to create Jack English in the first place. That has to happen somehow, since Vriska apparently didn’t do it. Gamzee might also prototype the final sprite. Who knows what else he'll do?
Vriska is leaving, yes. My guess is to raise the Cherubs, but we really don't know. (She's already hijacked Gamzee's role for practically everything else, plus she has other Gamzee parallels.) What if she returns in time to give the final blow to the Condesce, being the one to officially kill her? It'd mirror her dealing the final blow to the Black King of their session, plus... She'd likely inherit Lord English's curse. Lord English has already been manipulating her and using her to his advantage anyway; the curse would just make it official.
ROSESPRITE: I kind of relish the idea of being a "less relevant" party member.
Rose always has gravitated toward Void more than Light.
Tavros has cat allergies and has only been prototyped once. What if GCat shows up, triggers Tavros’ allergies, and...
ACHOO!
...He crashes into and fuses with GCat! It’d make a nice parallel with Jade and Bec sprite-fusing, plus be all kinds of hilarious and ironic.
Plus, Tavcat? Catros? could be super effective against Bec Noir and PM because cat distraction + animal communing powers + First Guardian powers. Although he’d probably be a perpetual sneezing mess.
Even if this doesn’t happen, I have a feeling Tavros’ cat allergies will result in him inadvertently double prototyping with something or someone. And, also, Tavros controlling GCat would make a great distraction for the Becs. (As would Jaspers.)
Everyone keeps debating what quadrant Dave and Karkat’s relationship is. Each has valid and supporting arguments, and they all make sense in their own ways.
But why limit it to just one? What if it’s actually ALL the quadrants?
It was said their love went beyond the four quadrants, transcending the grid entirely. Whatever that nonsense actually means.
Perhaps Karkat is following in the footsteps of his ancestor?