Sufficient Velocity

Yeah, the whole 'what a twist!' aspect to the Conjoiner's backstory was kind of a gut-punch. I was all set on being excited to learn magic, but now we're apparently a guilt-driven atoner who can't so much as look at a textbook without getting 'Nam flashbacks.

We're actually immune to precog, thankfully, in addition to the Strategist's/other Conjoiners' mental fuckery. Argued extensively to ensure that.

Meh, I'll believe it if it actually happens. Frankly, it just looks like the MC is a puppet for greater powers, and has little hope of cutting the strings. That's not a satisfying game to play or argue for.

Fair enough. Would you like me to keep you apprised?

Not particularly.

I barely skimmed it, but what the fuck? Infiltrator sounded like the best option.

(Reads the story-only thread)

And to positively nobody's surprise, immunity to mind-reading and precog only matters against alleged peers, and crumples helplessly the moment you run into someone competent who actually gives half a shit, judging by how little miss Fourth Year Council President trivially shut down and boxed the PC's headvoice.

So far, my predictions seem to have been accurate.

My prediction on that front is that there's some rules-lawyering going on where Arthur's immunity only protects him, not the Strategist.

Honestly? I think it's just more likely that it only protects against blunt-force level precog, not the superhuman intellect and perception that apparently every halfway decent magic user gets as perks of their job. In other words, completely useless against the people you'd want it to protect you from.

You can't immunize yourself against other people being intelligent, but I don't think anything magical happened beyond the Strategist getting shut down. The immunity is categorical, we have Rihaku's word on that. If she could punch through our mental defenses, she wouldn't need to intimidate us into telling her our powers and would've contradicted our assertion that she can't see us to hammer in her superiority.

I must admit, it's gratifying to see 'Consequences for seizing at power and assuming the price is miniscule' to actually be coming into play. "Congratulations! You have a sword that might--at endgame--let you cleave and smite the Boss on its own, in exchange, you must do its bidding or suffer XP charges". Especially since as the attunement increases, so will the likely surcharges it demands for gainsaying its will.

"This is not a recurring penalty."

That doesn't mean anything, just that it won't continue charging it until they do what it wants, and that it'll just wait until the next time.

Well, I took 'not a recurring penalty' as a sign that it wouldn't happen again. I'd guess it's something to do with the Aspect, but we don't know precisely what. Assuming that we're slaved to the Blade and costs will not only continue, but increase, seems excessively cynical to me.

Because Foxglove Exists, that's why, and he's apparently been unchallenged for the Sword. The Sword has shown what its price for loyalty is, and that requires out-dicking the chief master dick known. It's also not literarily unknown for a cursed weapon to provide only a modest charge for early points, and demand more and more as you use it more frequently.

'Not literarily unknown' is a far cry from 'this will happen and Arthur is forever ruined by this one choice.'

Oh no, he's not forever ruined, he's still salvagable even now, but sunk costs and the need to out-dick Foxglove to maintain dominance over the new trump card, sort of stack the deck heavily in favor of being dragged around by the rewards offered for dickery.

You have a theory supported by a single point of evidence, tenuous narrative tradition, and your own suppositions, yet you're already treating it as a fact. The tendency to assume the worst possible outcome and then draw conclusions based on a foundation of fear is a habit just as bad as my own inclination to rationalize away any decision that results in increased power.

If you're interested in Arthur's salvation, why not get yourself un-banned and rejoin the fray?

Because it won't make a difference. It never has, and I'd rather save myself the aggravation and stress that trying has brought on to me.