![\"👍\"](\"https:\/\/fonts.gstatic.com\/s\/e\/notoemoji\/13.1.1\/1f44d\/32.png\")
<\/p>\nThese are Steven’s Notes for chapters 77-79. Usually they are only published on the Patreon feed, but we got to 35 Patrons, and Steven liked this set in particular, so we’re releasing these to everyone.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Lies and Damned Lies<\/p>\n
July 27, 2021
\n\u201cCome on, let\u2019s talk about this in my room,\u201d I said, gesturing for her to lead the way.<\/p>\n
Like Val isn\u2019t going to take the wrong message from \u2018let\u2019s talk about this in my bedroom\u2019.<\/p>\n
July 27, 2021
\nThere was something haunting about her in the light that filtered in through the window, like I was looking at a wisp of a person.<\/p>\n
Haunting image there.<\/p>\n
July 27, 2021
\n\u201cDo you know what a locus is?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cMary said that it was one of a kind,\u201d said Val. \u201cA creature that was hated and hunted.\u201d
\n\u201cLike you,\u201d I said.
\nVal shrugged.<\/p>\n
This is either some awesome manipulation by Amaryllis or the natural conclusion Val reached. I\u2019m leaning toward manipulation. Loci aren\u2019t exactly hated and hunted now, so saying they are is disingenuous and seems to appeal to Val\u2019s emotions specifically.<\/p>\n
July 27, 2021
\n\u201cYou\u2019re in control of the devils though?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cThey\u2019re just a collection of parts,\u201d said Val. \u201cNot devils anymore, when they\u2019re past my maw.\u201d<\/p>\n
Metal. As. Fuck!<\/p>\n
July 27, 2021
\n\u201cI feel so much better like this,\u201d said Val. She stretched her arms out to the sides, then moved them in, pushing her breasts together, which I tried not to notice.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t clear before that she could suck in a devil at will. I thought it was just bad luck for whatever devils happened upon her. I wonder if the devil\u2019s knowledge of people gave her the insight to know that this is a gesture Joon would notice. I imagine she didn\u2019t learn a lot about flattering boys in her prison home.
\nI also realized that in my head I\u2019ve been basically picturing Belatrix Black with red eyes, but Val isn\u2019t described as an emaciated half-corpse.<\/p>\n
July 27, 2021
\nher arms were still pushing her breasts together, showing more pale cleavage than the dress would normally allow for. She grinned at me. \u201cThe confidence is faked.\u201d
\n\u201cFaked?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t feel it, internally, but there\u2019s a part of the devil that knows what it\u2019s like to puppet a human and pretend at being confident, so I can use that, if I think I can get what I want by pretending,\u201d said Val.<\/p>\n
Huh. Well, I feel less pervy for my earlier guess since I was right.<\/p>\n
July 27, 2021
\n\u201cVal,\u201d I said slowly. I had almost asked her what it was she wanted, but that was such an obvious trap that I was stunned I\u2019d almost fell for it.<\/p>\n
Eneasz was right. SOC isn\u2019t a dump stat!<\/p>\n
July 27, 2021
\n\u201cToo easy and too hard,\u201d I replied with a nod. My heart was slowing back down.<\/p>\n
This whole exchange was played awesomely. Conveying a difficult to explain concept through an wonderfully executed example.<\/p>\n
July 27, 2021
\n\u201cI can tell what she\u2019s thinking,\u201d said Val. \u201cOther people are so easy to pick apart. It\u2019s myself that I have trouble with. She told me not to say anything about the things that I could see in people.\u201d She looked me over. \u201cYou agree with her, but you want to know anyway. Should I tell you?\u201d
\n\u201cNo,\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s awesomely respectful of Joon. It\u2019s not like he doesn\u2019t have his own ways to be invasive of other people\u2019s minds, and he\u2019s deliberately choosing to not follow those paths.<\/p>\n
July 27, 2021
\n\u201cIt\u2019s not always pretty to see people laid bare,\u201d said Val. Her eyes were locked with mine, and now I was the one that wanted to look away.
\n\u201cIf there\u2019s anything that you\u2019re getting off me \u2026 I won\u2019t deny that you can probably see through me, but we can\u2019t always be the people that we want to be, even when we know who we want to be,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Joon, that was eloquent as hell and I wonder what sort of linguistic master you\u2019d be with more SOC points. I\u2019m going to remember that quote.<\/p>\n
July 27, 2021
\n\u201cI wasn\u2019t talking about you,\u201d said Val with a small laugh and a shake of her head. \u201cEverything I see in you is beautiful, even the flaws. Perhaps not the flaws, but the way you work against them. It\u2019s very appealing.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s probably the most romantic thing in this book so far. That does indeed sound like love to me.<\/p>\n
July 27, 2021
\n\u201cWell, I\u2019m introspective enough to realize I\u2019ve been finding this experience a little bit terrifying, and open enough to say that,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Wisdom 8!!!<\/p>\n
July 27, 2021
\n\u201cDon\u2019t try to convince me,\u201d I said. \u201cWe already had our vote, we\u2019re going to put the locus first, I want to know why you care because I want to get to know you, however confusing the concept of \u2018you\u2019 is to you right now.\u201d
\nLoyalty increased: Valencia the Red lvl 19!<\/p>\n
Well hey! Good job, Joon! Adhering to the results of a vote is part of the consequence of allowing voting. Good job being cool (apparently) about it. :)<\/p>\n
July 27, 2021
\n\u201cI\u2019m hoping that the locus, when we meet, is the second person that truly doesn\u2019t care.\u201d
\nI kept my mouth firmly shut. It\u2019s not a person. That didn\u2019t seem like the kind of thing that you could say to someone who had just finished explaining that her entire life was going to be dominated by people thinking that she wasn\u2019t a person. I hoped that she couldn\u2019t read all that from me, and then realized that I was doing exactly what she\u2019d complained about Amaryllis doing, which was flinching back from the all-seeing eye.<\/p>\n
Is it just me or is Joon being particularly wise today? Self awareness is rare enough, but self awareness in the moment of needing it is another level entirely.<\/p>\n
July 27, 2021
\n\u201cJuniper, I want you to take me seriously when I say that\u2019s very dangerous,\u201d said Amaryllis.
\n\u201cYeah, I learned that the hard way,\u201d I said. \u201cI don\u2019t know what class of demon she was chowing down on, but it was very, ah, stressful, like if I hadn\u2019t been careful she might have talked me into \u2026 I don\u2019t know.\u201d Except that I do know. Blegh. Bleeeegh. Bad brain.<\/p>\n
Lol. \u2018Curse my useless hormonal teenage brain!\u2019<\/p>\n
July 27, 2021
\n\u201cDevil, not demon,\u201d said Amaryllis. \u201cDevils are the thinkers and talkers, demons are the fighters.\u201d
\n\u201cRight, I know,\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n
Oh, so Joon just knows this but didn\u2019t tell us yet. ;)<\/p>\n
July 27, 2021
\n\u201cAnd I think that we have to be a little bit watchful,\u201d she continued, \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s probable, but given her demonstrated ability, it\u2019s at least possible that she voted the way she did in order to provoke you into spending some time with her, and whatever you two talked about, the outcome might have been one that she was steering, especially if you came away feeling \u2018good\u2019.\u201d
\n\u201cI was really hoping that with Fallatehr dead we could leave that kind of thinking behind,\u201d I muttered.<\/p>\n
Maybe that flashback last chapter wasn\u2019t foreshadowing forthcoming team strife. Maybe it was showing that Joon doesn\u2019t enjoy that stuff and will work to not let it happen. He and Amaryllis are jamming nicely and respectfully here.<\/p>\n
July 27, 2021
\n\u201cThe ones that everyone remembers, the successful ones, married themselves to the infernal, became a willing tool of abject evil.\u201d
\n\u201cBut they were still people,\u201d I said.
\n\u201cYes,\u201d said Amaryllis, slowly, hesitantly. \u201cBut I\u2019m not sure that the distinction is one that matters.\u201d
\n\u201cIt seems to me like what you do and do not consider a person matters a lot,\u201d I replied.
\n\u201cNot for them,\u201d said Amaryllis. \u201cWhether they\u2019re people or not, the solution would have been the same. The quality of life a non-anima can expect to live, the things that they would see, the death and destruction that they would be complicit in? It was, is, better to end them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heavy stuff. Personhood is a semi-complex subject and Joon is right that considering it is important. He must not view Doris (Fucking) Finch a person.<\/p>\n
The Sacrifice<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nEventually, we decided on Bows, Unarmored, Unarmed Combat, and Shields. The first two were fairly easy choices, because Fenn had high skill in both, which meant that through Symbiosis I was at least middling. Unarmed and Shields both had the virtue of being little-used and seeming like they\u2019d be straightforward to train.<\/p>\n
I wonder if this will drain Fenn\u2019s skill somehow and it won\u2019t come back as easily as Joon\u2019s. Also, they\u2019ll have to go over 100 or he\u2019ll only be a 100 level soul mage for 5 minutes. It took him 4 hours to tap Grak\u2019s soul. They\u2019re going to need plenty of wiggle room or he\u2019ll drop the ball in the middle of testing things out.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nAmaryllis had been the one to plan out most of the safehouses, and while they each served their own specific purpose, I\u2019d eventually cottoned on to the fact that she\u2019d deliberately chosen inconspicuous and uninteresting places, and given them the most boring possible names.<\/p>\n
Smart move. Finding a bunker with 12 inch steel reinforced walls and calling it The Bunker would be bad ass, but it would be *just what they were expecting!*<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nContrast a mostly anonymous cottage in the woods with spartan furnishing to an immense cathedral with a significant name that had once belonged to a dead god, and you might understand her line of thinking.<\/p>\n
See?? Joon and Amaryllis get it.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nSteady Aim: Completely eliminates the penalty for firing a bow while moving. Halves the penalty for firing a bow under pressure or duress. Triples the amount of time you can hold a bow at maximum draw.
\nBulwark: Shields you hold are twice as durable. If a force acts on your shield to move you, you will move only half the usual distance, with the reduction capped at ten feet of movement negated.
\nHardened Skin: Lessens the toll that physical damage in combat takes on you. Slightly increases natural healing. Increases force required to break skin.<\/p>\n
These are solid perks! Too bad he\u2019s going to have to trade them for a while to cheese his Essentialism skill.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nMonkish Warrior: While unarmed and unarmored, you may parry attacks as though you held a weapon, dodge at twice your effective skill, and automatically re-roll injuries if they are in the lowest five percent of outcomes (you keep any lower rolls).<\/p>\n
Wow. And explicit reference to rolling dice for attack outcomes.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nI ended up putting the two extra ability points into MEN even before we went into the bottle. Fenn already augmented my social skills, just through Symbiosis, and if Amaryllis got up to 20 Loyalty (something that both of us wanted), I thought that I would pretty much be set.<\/p>\n
Solid thinking. MEN is the path to overpowered mage. Plus being super smart is powerful on its own.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nWe descended into the bottle together, as a group. For me, Grak, and Val, it was the old travel-by-glove routine, while Fenn held onto Amaryllis, who was taking us all down in the immobility plate. Fenn had refused to go into the glove, citing one too many bad experiences with it, and for whatever reason, Amaryllis indulged her, even though it meant that the descent took quite a bit longer than it otherwise would have.<\/p>\n
No reference to the fact that the bottle is the size of, well, a bottle. How the hell did they descend into it without being tiny?<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nThe Six-Eyed Doe was pretty, I supposed, aesthetically pleasing, but I couldn\u2019t quite help myself from appending \u2018for a deer\u2019 to that.<\/p>\n
Lol, he has to assess it on how pretty it is because he thinks he\u2019s gonna have to fuck it at some point. ;)<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nWhen her trembling hand was a few feet away, the Six-Eyed Doe bowed its head, took a step forward, and licked her on the face. Val let out an \u2018eep!\u2019, then began to laugh as the doe nuzzled her.<\/p>\n
Deer are cute and this one’s a sweetie. Joon, quit being a sourpuss.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\n(And though I saw it happen, I still couldn\u2019t quite say how the locus managed the feat of lifting Val up with its head and having her tumble backward along its neck to reach a perfect sitting position with no seeming effort on either of their behalf. It annoyed me, thinking about it later, because it seemed like the same kind of bullshit \u2018fuck you I\u2019m magical\u2019 thing that I\u2019d come to expect of the locus.)<\/p>\n
\u2018Fuck you, I\u2019m magical\u2019 is sort of the doe\u2019s whole thing. :)<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\n\u201cFenn?\u201d I asked. Hand going to my heart. \u201cMy most loyal companion? How could you wound me so?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m the self-appointed court jester,\u201d said Fenn. \u201cMy role is to tell the king the things that no one else can, because he\u2019d get pissed off if it came from someone else. Ergo, you\u2019re being a whiner about your very nearly godlike powers.\u201d
\n\u201cNot for the first time,\u201d muttered Grak, loud enough that I could hear it.<\/p>\n
Ha. Also, it\u2019s somehow true that it hurts less coming from her than Grak\u2019s unconcerned phrasing.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\n\u201cI\u2019m coming around to it,\u201d I said. \u201cAnd even if I weren\u2019t, you can\u2019t maintain a democracy if you\u2019re willing to defect from it when the votes don\u2019t go your way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Good guy Joon! Not sour about the outcome of the vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\n\u201cI want to do everything possible before the Sacrifice,\u201d I said. \u201cThat will mean trying to at least see the Six-Eyed Doe\u2019s soul the normal way. There are a lot of ways that this can go wrong, and I want to minimize them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thank goodness. I was really hoping he would try to do this.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nHe ran his hand over his beard. \u201cJuniper, you treat the world as though it owes you something. You treat me as though I owe you my attention, affection, and loyalty.\u201d
\nI thought for a moment before responding to that, trying to pick the right words. \u201cOh fuck off,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t want to highlight the whole thing, but I really liked this interaction. Grak doesn\u2019t mind being what would commonly be called \u2018rude\u2019 when having a discussion to eliminate the tedium of beating around the bush. Two standard people would take ages to communicate this for fear of hurting each other\u2019s feelings.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\n\u201cIf the game layer hadn\u2019t said anything about it, we would have used him to get up Aumann\u2019s tower, rescued Amaryllis, and then went off without him, leaving him in the lurch.\u201d
\n\u201cWell that\u2019s fucking harsh,\u201d said Fenn with a frown.
\n\u201cIt was your plan,\u201d I replied.
\n\u201cOh, right,\u201d said Fenn, brightening up. \u201cThat was ages ago.\u201d
\n\u201cWater over the bridge,\u201d nodded Grak.<\/p>\n
Haha. Oh Fenn. Also, apparently \u2018water over the bridge\u2019 is the Aerbian idiom, or he\u2019s just playing off of Fenn\u2019s wrong way of saying it. I\u2019m glad he has a sense of humor. I know he hasn\u2019t found his Purpose, but I hope he\u2019s healing.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nI closed my eyes and scrunched up my face, trying to think of some response without the distraction of having to look at anyone. \u201cOkay, I can see it now. I\u2019m going to have to hope that I can explain what was going through my head at some point, but I want some time to think about things, how it looks from your perspective, and where our different cultures are getting in the way. And even if I could explain it perfectly, that probably wouldn\u2019t be enough, because with you, I failed. I need to just \u2026 listen more, I guess, and focus less on the end goals, at least when it comes to our kharass.\u201d
\nI opened my eyes.
\nLoyalty increased: Fenn lvl 22!
\nLoyalty increased: Amaryllis lvl 16!
\nLoyalty increased: Grak lvl 10!
\nCompanion Passive Unlocked: Twinned Souls (Grak)!\u201d<\/p>\n
Humility goes a long way. Being able to own up to your mistakes and shortcomings is admirable – apparently even admirable enough to boost loyalty from a very reluctant Grak.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\n\u201cThe monocle will burn the retinas, if overused,\u201d explained Grak. \u201cI no longer need it. It takes thirty or forty years of intensive study to develop the sight. It marks a person as a true master.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leveling up your homies is tight! This honesty feels like a new level of trust and communication for the group – especially for Joon and Grak. Screw the concern of team conflict! :)<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\n\u201cI\u2019m happy for you, Grak,\u201d said Amaryllis. She looked over at the Six-Eyed Doe, which was approaching with Val on its back. \u201cIt looks like they\u2019re finally finished. Fortuitous timing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amaryllis is a good friend too. Fenn\u2026 I feel like I\u2019d never be quite sure where I stood with her if I knew her IRL because of her tendency to deflect and make everything a joke. I wonder what the doe will get at loyalty 10. I suspect the effort of The Sacrifice will go a long way. I wonder if at level 20 Val will be able to eat any souls she can get her hands on. This may allow some brief semi-communication with Solace.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\n\u201cShe tried to fit in my maw,\u201d said Val.
\n\u201cIt \u2026 what?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cShe could see that I was hollow,\u201d said Val. \u201cSo she tried to fit inside of me, just to explore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Are we still doing \u2018phrasing\u2019? \u2018She tried to fit inside me\u2019 is just begging Archer to make a joke. :) And I take it more as a kind gesture from the Doe rather than some malicious attempt at possession or something.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t need to know more,\u201d said Amaryllis, seeming to pick up on my train of thought. \u201cWe\u2019ll try not to inspect it too deeply, or ask too many questions that don\u2019t have answers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Team synergy! Amaryllis understands Joon well enough to know what he was thinking. :)<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nFenn stepped forward, with a bottle in her hand. Solace\u2019s lily-white soul was moving within it. \u201cThere\u2019s a bit of bad news,\u201d said Fenn. \u201cSolace –\u201d
\nThe locus turned its head toward the sky and began to yell, a weird, braying sound that set my teeth on edge. This continued for some time, until Amaryllis moved forward and wrapped the locus in a hug, her head resting against the doe\u2019s breast.<\/p>\n
Oh no\u2026 :( My pathological empathy is taking the reigns and this hit me right in the feels.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\n(Had it not known, or was it like a mother seeing her son\u2019s casket come home from a war overseas, emotion spilling forward when an immaterial death was made real?)<\/p>\n
I\u2019m taking it for granted that the locus can tell it\u2019s Solace\u2019s soul immediately. I wonder if it\u2019s loyalty will go up when they tell it they\u2019re planning to try to revive her\/restore it\u2019s power themselves.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nI felt awkward and uncomfortable patting it, and tried my best to murmur something comforting, but I had always been bad with grieving.
\nTiff wore a black dress, one that came down to her calves, and black shoes with a slight heel.<\/p>\n
Oh geez. Arthur\u2019s funeral. Well, I can\u2019t be getting all emotional while I\u2019m on the clock (I should probably be doing my job rather than reading anyway).<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\n\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you come?\u201d she asked. Her voice was shaky.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oh no\u2026 :(
\n(A sad face doesn\u2019t do justice to the feelings, but it\u2019s the closest shorthand I have)<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\n\u201c\u2018Never count a human as dead until you see his body,\u2019\u201d I said. \u201cHe used to quote that. Dune, I think.\u201d I tried to keep my tone clinical, to take refuge in dissociation. It wasn\u2019t really working.<\/p>\n
Similar to HJPEV\u2019s approach to stress. This though\u2026 it\u2019s just pure delusion man. You don\u2019t (yet) live in a world with magic where you can hope to make reality another way.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\n\u201cIt should have been me. He was a keystone. If it had been me, only the D&D group would have even noticed. No one understood him like I did, but he at least left his mark.\u201d<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m tall enough to ride this emotional train right now.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nTiff hugged me. I hugged her back, but it was awkward because of the way we were sitting. It wouldn\u2019t be the first or last time that she would go to me for comfort, or try to comfort me, only to realize that there was a gulf between us.
\nEventually she did lose me too. She had to, for her own sake.<\/p>\n
Goddamn. I\u2019ll take the Joon\/HJPEV approach and dissociate and talk about the writing instead of the feelings it\u2019s generating. (Even as I wrote that part, I felt better). Alexander can make me laugh out loud while reading a joke he wrote, make me tense and eager enough to stay up late, and make me cry – all within just a few minutes of each other. Total pro.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nHere was the plan that we\u2019d worked out, in four brief parts:<\/p>\n
Uh oh. Telling us the plan means it\u2019s probably going to go wrong.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nif I could, for example, take a few of my unicorn bones, use them to reach into the soul of the unicorn, then retrofit them into myself in order to give me unicorn powers \u2026 fuck yes I\u2019d do it.<\/p>\n
Make Joon a sparkling unicorn princess like Hermione! Plus time fuckery powers? Too OP to be allowed, I think, but maybe!<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nMaybe I\u2019d understand how to give myself extra arms, which seemed like a thing that Essentialism could do,<\/p>\n
Lol, we joked about this before. Seems like the sort of thing I\u2019d pass on, but knowing I could do it sounds valuable.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nReally pessimistically, just by trying I would permanently fuck something up.<\/p>\n
Definitely a possibility. Without spending more than a few seconds to think about it, the first thing that comes to mind is that he utterly ruins his stats and it takes him ages to get anything above 0 again. He *might* just wreck his whole game layer, but the story would get pretty weird if that\u2019s what happened. It wouldn\u2019t even be clear what quest they could undertake to fix that. Maybe he\u2019ll interface with the DM directly and be told to quit fucking about so much.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nI found my True Name, which I won\u2019t give here.<\/p>\n
Dammit! I mean, one doesn\u2019t just go around shouting their True Name, but I\u2019m curious. Did I ever speculate out loud about True Names on Aerb? I don\u2019t think I did.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nI knew, as if I\u2019d had it drilled into my head long ago, that my True Name could not be changed, and there was no way to hack my lineage so that I was Uther Penndraig\u2019s eldest son; these things were excluded, impossible now, but hadn\u2019t always been.<\/p>\n
The idea of changing his lineage never occurred to me (or anyone, I suspect) but the idea that it was one possible is nuts. No wonder that got excluded. He could have made himself the direct owner of every entad on Aerb.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nI\u2019d been thinking of the exclusions of being something like patches to the game (making the exclusion zones places that had been grandfathered in), and if that was the case, then soul magic must have been the cause of a whole host of patches:<\/p>\n
This is at least part of the story, but this doesn\u2019t answer the question of what Aerbians think causes them.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nWhen I looked to the lines away from my soul, I stopped and stared. There should have been four, three intact (Amaryllis, Fenn, Grak), one broken and waving in the wind (Valencia). Instead, there were eight.<\/p>\n
Ah\u2026 I assume this points to his whole party, even the ones he hasn\u2019t seen yet. But Uther had 7 party members, right? Is the 8th one Uther??<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nI noticed the other guy after I\u2019d got my bearings. He appeared as though a mental block had been lifted that prevented me from seeing him. He was dressed in a dark grey hoodie that said \u201cMr. Dice Guy\u201d<\/p>\n
Are you shitting me? I would have given \u201ccan talk to the DM\u201d less than 5% odds! This clearly (probably?) isn\u2019t the real physical whatever DM, but an avatar in the game. Well, Eneasz was building to something when he limited this week to 3 chapters. Is the DM Joon??? I\u2019m going to torture myself and eat dinner before reading on.<\/p>\n
July 28, 2021
\nwith blue jeans and sneakers that wouldn\u2019t have had a place on Aerb. Mid-30s, a full beard, brown hair, blue eyes, a slightly crooked nose, and a wry smirk. It wasn\u2019t just his clothes that spoke of Earth.
\n\u201cHullo Juniper,\u201d he said with a smile. \u201cI thought maybe it was time we had a chat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ok, lots of thoughts.
\nOne, it\u2019s Wednesday evening and I don\u2019t want to sit in torture for 5 days, so I may drag out the next chapter.
\nTwo, I don\u2019t think this guy is Juniper or Arthur. \u2018Hullo\u2019 is not how they speak, unless this guy is putting on an accent or making a joke or something. Joon also didn\u2019t say he recognized him, nor has he mentioned needing to shave once in the story so far, so having a full beard even at twice his age seems unlikely.
\nThree, I like how the DM isn\u2019t doing The Architect from the second matrix movie shtick. Instead, he\u2019s hanging out on jeans and hoodie, even if the hoodie is a little on the nose.
\nFour, if you\u2019d asked me to bet \u2018when, if ever, do you think we\u2019ll meet the DM?\u2019 I\u2019d have guessed in the last 20% of the book. Doing it at 25% is dope. Five, Joon better not get his memory wiped or some shit, and the DM better put his soul magic skill depletion\/the Game on pause during this chat. I\u2019m gonna be pissed if he\u2019s pulled out of this conversation because his skill went too low (and annoyed they blew their chance to help the locus and stuff too).
\nSix, what would I ask the DM if I was Joon? This is a good one to ponder. Starting with \u2018what the fuck is going on?\u2019 seems like a good place jumping off point, but if that\u2019s too vague, I\u2019d have to go for
\n– Was\/is Earth real?
\n– Am I dead\/did I die in 5th period English or am I am em of a younger me?
\n– How did I get here? Full brain emulation or something else?
\n– Is Arthur\u2019s consciousness here somewhere and will you tell me where he is?
\n– WHY AM I HERE?!!!
\nI think I\u2019ll just keep thinking about this for a bit before starting the next chapter.
\n– Honestly, asking who the DM is is sort of low on my priority list. Oh! And it looks like the DM isn\u2019t Tiff either. Could it be hers and Joon\u2019s secret baby that I joked about earlier? Of course, the DM\u2019s avatar doesn\u2019t have to look like the real DM.
\n– The fact that he won\u2019t reveal his True Name is a CLUE. If this was just an ultra HD VR game, it wouldn\u2019t be that important. It suggests Aerb and magic is really real.<\/p>\n
Rule Zero<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cYou\u2019re the Dungeon Master,\u201d I said, looking him over.<\/p>\n
Dun dun dun!<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cSays something about you,\u201d he said. \u201cThat you assumed that the person behind all your perceived misfortune would be yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
This could still be Joon. I\u2019ll quit hitting this point, but one\u2019s digital avatar need not look like one\u2019s meat suit.<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cIt\u2019s my world,\u201d I said. \u201cMy creations. My sensibilities, my interests, my design decisions, my fingerprints are all over every aspect of Aerb.\u201d
\nThe Dungeon Master shrugged. \u201cTrue enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
His blas\u00e9 attitude is\u2026 hard to put a label on. Is he just super chill, or a detached asshole?<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\nI stopped, trying to think of what to say, what question I could ask. \u201cWhy is there pain?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cBecause I wanted there to be pain,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n
Huh. That didn\u2019t hit my top ten list of questions, but it\u2019s probably a good one. For all we know, Joon is the only conscious entity here and only his pain is real. And that answer! Dude, the fuck?<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cYou\u2019re a monster,\u201d I said, crossing my arms. \u201cAnd I\u2019m on a schedule, this isn\u2019t a good time.\u201d
\nHe snapped his fingers. \u201cThere, now we have all the time in the world. Satisfied?\u201d<\/p>\n
(Looks like I\u2019m highlighting every heckin word of this chapter)
\nJoon\u2019s response is understandable. The guy is being a dick (in this conversation, and in, you know, making a world of suffering). That said, I\u2019m glad my concern about them only having like 5 minutes to talk is handled. \u2026 Good guy DM? Lol, nah.<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cArthur, put through shit a hundred times over, never even able to rest, how fucking could you?\u201d He watched me, and I could feel my heart racing, my blood boiling. \u201cEvery fucking death is on your hands, every starving child, every act of violence, every rape, every murder, all the atrocities of a world that seems to have had more than its fair share of them, all that is on you. If I were god, I\u2019d have stopped them all.\u201d
\n\u201cThen what are you waiting for?\u201d asked the Dungeon Master. \u201cBecome god.\u201d<\/p>\n
I get the sense that Eneasz\u2019s conversation with god would go about the same way. I\u2019d like to think I\u2019d be able to reign in my anger for the sake of a conversation. Of course, a god could read my mind, but he\u2019d at least see the effort I made to keep myself in check. The DM\u2019s answer though\u2026 that\u2019s something to think about. Is he saying it\u2019s possible for Joon to make the world a utopia or is he just being an asshole. Arthur couldn\u2019t make the world a utopia.<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\nI sprinted forward and attacked him, grabbing him by his hoodie and punching him square in the face. He cried out in pain and began stumbling back, but that was why I had a hold of his shirt, and as he tried to twist under my grip, I punched him again, then threw him to the ground and leapt on top of him, punching him again, in the chest this time, trying to pin him with my weight while I kept up the assault. There was blood spraying out to coat the white void, more splattered with every punch, until eventually his movements slowed down. I grabbed his hair and slammed the back of his head into the ground, over and over, past the point that he was no longer moving, until eventually I was gasping for air because of the exertion. I was crying too, which wasn\u2019t surprising.<\/p>\n
Uhhh\u2026 that was tremendously stupid. I get why he\u2019s mad, but pissing off god is a dumb idea (even assuming god anticipated this). He could snap his fingers and say \u201chey, looks like Amaryllis\u2019s prayers to me weren\u2019t answered and she\u2019s mind fucked forever now. And your prayer about blood type matching with Fenn is now unanswered. She\u2019s got terminal blood transfusion sickness and will die painfully 90 seconds after I send you back. Oh, and everyone\u2019s now a P zombie, fuck you.\u201d Obviously Joon didn\u2019t kill him here, just vented on a digital punching bag, so I\u2019m not worried the DM is dead or anything.<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\nI got up and kicked his head. \u201cAlright, let\u2019s chat.\u201d
\nThe corpse didn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n
Ha ha. Uh oh. Congrats Joon, you\u2019re inability to control your anger just got you trapped in Janet\u2019s void.<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\nEventually, enough time had passed that I should have been thirsty, and then hungry. I should have needed sleep.<\/p>\n
Oh man. So like hours and hours. Joon and I both (apparently) have attention problems. I\u2019d get super bored fast.<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\nOccasionally I would look back at the Dungeon Master\u2019s body, sometimes flipping it the bird.<\/p>\n
He should teabag it and then piss on it if he\u2019s determined to annoy god as much as possible.<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\nBrains are made of neurons awash in chemical soup, and the thing about that chemical soup is that it has a really hard time maintaining high levels of any emotion. It\u2019s not that you run out of anger, it\u2019s that your brain runs out of the chemicals responsible for you feeling the emotion of anger, and all you really feel is numb, because your brain can\u2019t actually make you feel the thing that it\u2019s supposed to be making you feel. So eventually, my brain had wrung out all the anger it possibly could, leaving nothing left but a trickle as it slowly made (and then immediately deployed) its anger chemicals.<\/p>\n
Do you even have a brain, Joon? Not dissing you, that\u2019s a legitimate question. You have a simulated brain here. The DM or game designers don\u2019t have to make your brain have perfect Earth fidelity here.<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cYou can kill me again, if you\u2019d like,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cI will, once I can figure out a way to do it permanently,\u201d I said. \u201cOnce I have a system in place to take up the reins without it all crashing down. Once I\u2019m a god.\u201d
\n\u201cFair enough,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Again, I wouldn\u2019t make this threat explicit. And I still don\u2019t know how to read into the DM\u2019s replies. For now, I\u2019ll imagine that \u2018fair enough\u2019 in Producer Guy\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cThe fuck do you want?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
This would have been my first question.<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cYou won\u2019t believe me if I tell you that I didn\u2019t set it up,\u201d said the Dungeon Master.
\n\u201cIs that what you\u2019re telling me?\u201d I asked. \u201cThat Amaryllis Penndraig wasn\u2019t set up for me?\u201d
\n\u201cShe was,\u201d he replied. \u201cThey all were. But they were set up as companions first, and love interests second, and now that they\u2019re out in the real world, so to speak, I\u2019ve been keeping my hands off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hands off once they were set up. That suggests that the DM didn\u2019t make this world (it seems clear that Joon did) but that he\u2019s just DMing.<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cYour love life isn\u2019t really why I wanted to have a chat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Same here dude. I mean, I get the emotionality of what\u2019s going through your mind, but those aren\u2019t my top concerns either.<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cTell me whatever you thought you needed to tell me, you horrible little monster, then I\u2019ll fuck off to your painfully fake little world and pretend that none of this ever happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Man, reign it in. Yeah, this guy sucks, but can you take stock of the fact that you\u2019re getting to talk with him!!?<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cAre you going to be sullen this entire time?\u201d he asked.
\n\u201cSullen you can maintain,\u201d I said. \u201cWith the brain chemicals.\u201d
\n\u201cOkay then,\u201d said the Dungeon Master. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to do this, but let\u2019s try again.\u201d
\nHe snapped his fingers.<\/p>\n
See? This is the kind of shit you start when you don\u2019t at least pretend to play nice with god. Once you can curb stomp his ass, then you can come here and be a dick.<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cYou have infinite powers and off-brand pop?\u201d I asked.
\nHe laughed. \u201cJust a little joke.\u201d I didn\u2019t so much as quirk my lips. \u201cWell I thought it was hilarious. You can have anything you\u2019d like.\u201d
\n\u201cImmortality serum,\u201d I said.
\n\u201cFresh out, sorry,\u201d he replied with a grin.<\/p>\n
They do seem to share a sense of humor\u2026<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cFelix felicis,\u201d I replied.
\nHe rolled his eyes. \u201cNo Harry Potter stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eyyy! We were just talking about how OP that shit is last episode. Joon, you\u2019ve got elf bones to harvest luck from, aim higher. Or lower and just ask for a glass of water.<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cD&D is make believe. It\u2019s pretend. This, Aerb, is \u2026\u201d I trailed off. Did I want the answer to that implied question? Would something inside me break if I learned that Fenn was just a facade of a person?<\/p>\n
This here is why \u201care my companions sentient\u201d wasn\u2019t in my top ten questions. It\u2019s not that I wouldn\u2019t want to know the truth necessarily, but if I needed to ride out another 50 years here I might be inclined to stay in the dark on that one.<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cI nudge things, here and there,\u201d he replied. \u201cI fudge things, sometimes, when I don\u2019t think it will be too obvious to you. There wasn\u2019t going to be an archery contest in Cranberry Bay when you were passing through, but I looked ahead a little bit, and saw that I could help Fenn to have a little adventure by paying a water mage to produce some inclement weather a few weeks prior, which made the contest committee move the date up, and from there it was just a matter of having her hear about it, which took another few nudges.\u201d<\/p>\n
So Fenn does exist off camera (or that\u2019s just what he wants us to think!)<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cYou might die, and one of the things I really wanted you to know was that if that happens, I\u2019m not going to save you. They\u2019re called stakes. Do you remember Arthur DMing?\u201d
\n\u201cDon\u2019t you even say his name to me,\u201d I said. I wasn\u2019t in a position to make threats, and I knew it, but I was angry.<\/p>\n
This version of Joon is more the kind of temperament I had in mind when he arrived. Being pissed is more than understandable. Being so damn stupid that you\u2019d punch the guy to death is another level.<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cThe spectre of death that I\u2019ve been under \u2026 I\u2019m pretty sure that you don\u2019t get it, because if you did –\u201d
\n\u201cThat is the most asinine argument,\u201d he replied. \u201c\u2018Clearly I\u2019m right, and I\u2019m so right that you must be misunderstanding me, because if you understood my superior argument, you would agree with it\u2019.\u201d He used a voice for that, one meant to mock me.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know if Joon\u2019s argument here counts as special pleading, DM. You\u2019ve been sensible (a dick, but sensible) this whole time, but I\u2019m pretty sure you\u2019re not justified in dismissing Joon\u2019s argument that easily.<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cI don\u2019t want you to fail, I want to take some joy in seeing how you react, in seeing you run off the rails, in succeeding against bad odds, in dealing with your teammates — I want you to win.\u201d He stopped and watched me. \u201cI\u2019m not going to bend over backwards so you can win though,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m barely going to bend at all. It\u2019s one of the things I wanted to let you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Am I naive for believing this guy? I guess I don\u2019t see what incentive he\u2019d have for lying.<\/p>\n
July 29, 2021
\n\u201cI don\u2019t consent,\u201d I said, leaning back and folding my arms.<\/p>\n
The Dungeon Master smiled. \u201cDid you think that I didn\u2019t ask you? Here, I\u2019ll show you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Say whaaaaat?? Is Aerb really just a high quality Roy from Rick and Morty and Joon volunteered????<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\n\u201cFive seconds ago, I had been passing notes in fifth period English.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still the biggest clue in the story!<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\n\u201cWhat,\u201d I said. I looked around. It was a featureless white void. I looked down at the chairs, then back at him. \u201cAm I \u2026 in the Matrix?\u201d<\/p>\n
Not a bad guess. Either this whole flashback\/revealed memory is fabricated or Earth is also a simulation of some sort. Or\u2026 This could be how the Future People who revived Joon\u2019s crionically preserved brain chose to play this out\u2026<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\n\u201cyou\u2019ll get sent to a fantasy world that generally matches your aesthetic for an indefinite duration.\u201d<\/p>\n
He may not live out his entire life on Aerb.<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\n\u201cDo I know you?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re kindred spirits, you and I,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n
This is a clich\u00e9d line, but I think it\u2019s significant. This isn\u2019t just some random dude and Joon isn\u2019t a random choice.<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\n\u201cI\u2019ll do it,\u201d I said. \u201cCan I \u2026 what happens to me, when I leave Earth? I\u2019d like to leave a note or something.\u201d If I was really here, was Earth even real? \u201cI don\u2019t want to hurt anyone.\u201d
\n\u201c[REDACTED],\u201d he replied.
\n\u201cOh,\u201d I replied. \u201cOkay, I guess that works. Unless [REDACTED]?\u201d
\n\u201cThen [REDACTED],\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n
Go figure! This jerk can\u2019t even give us the full details of a flashback memory thing! Whatever was redacted there at least explains why he isn\u2019t ruminating on his friends and family at all while on Aerb.
\nMy current best guess is that Joon is still on earth and at some point when his quest is over these two versions of him will mesh.<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\n\u201cThere were parts of that you left out,\u201d I said, once I\u2019d finished reliving the memory. \u201cDo my parents think that I\u2019m dead?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m worried about potential spoilers,\u201d replied the Dungeon Master.<\/p>\n
Lol. Spoiler alert!<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\n\u201cUm, let me see,\u201d he said, looking down at the yellow legal pad, which was completely blank.<\/p>\n
This guy is a bit of a jerk, sure. But you can\u2019t deny he\u2019s got a sense of humor.<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\nHe looked down at the legal pad again and tapped his pencil against it. \u201cThe last thing I wanted to say was that you don\u2019t need to worry about the narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n
Is he saying this so the group will stop meta-thinking about the Narrative because it\u2019s not fun to DM a story with characters like that, or is he being serious?<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\n\u201cBut what\u2019s the point of it all?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
He looked down at his legal pad again. \u201cNope, that\u2019s not on the agenda for today.\u201d He smiled at me. \u201cYou\u2019ve been a relatively good sport though, so I\u2019ll entertain some requests. Three wishes, maybe? You haven\u2019t actually ruled out that I\u2019m a genie.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wishes you say!?<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\n\u201cI wish for more wishes,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, I\u2019ll give you one hundred more wishes, but they can only be used to wish for a standard-issue school cafeteria hot dog,\u201d he said with a smile. \u201cRookie mistake there, I thought you were better than this. And anyway, I\u2019m not giving you those kinds of wishes. Little things, not plot breakers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nice try, nerd. :)<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\n\u201cWorst that I\u2019ll do is say no. Think \u2018small\u2019. Think \u2018things that don\u2019t solve the plots\u2019.\u201d
\n\u201cOkay,\u201d I said. I took a breath. \u201cI wish I didn\u2019t have a harem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Get over yourself dude. You\u2019ve got one chick you\u2019re dating a couple of others who are sort of into you. Wasted wish.<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\nThe Dungeon Master frowned at me. \u201cYou don\u2019t have a harem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
This guy gets it.<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\n\u201cSecond, if you really wanted to do it, you\u2019re the one with Essentialism over the hard cap, all you\u2019d have to do is go into Amaryllis\u2019 soul and make a few choice edits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unethical, but good point. Amaryllis might even consent to this. You can solve this problem, Joon. Wish for your settings page to be unlocked!!<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\n\u201cArthur was warm and dead. He was cremated. I don\u2019t understand how he could exist in this world, except as an imperfect reconstruction from my memories.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s still not a question,\u201d replied the Dungeon Master. His voice was softer, gentler. For all that he was an amoral monster, he seemed to care.<\/p>\n
Genuine care? Who the hell is this guy?<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\n\u201cTell me whether he\u2019s real,\u201d I said. \u201cNo, tell me how he\u2019s real, how that\u2019s even possible, because he died nine months before I came here, and we didn\u2019t have this technology then.\u201d
\n\u201cHe\u2019s real,\u201d said the Dungeon Master.<\/p>\n
This is the surest confirmation we could ever ask for at this point.<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\n\u201cAnd he\u2019s out there, somewhere on Aerb or one of the other planes. He spent most of his life on Aerb, he\u2019s not going to be how you remembered him — you know that, that\u2019s not news — but the Arthur that came to Aerb wasn\u2019t just Arthur as you remembered him. He\u2019s the real deal, Arthur as he actually existed.\u201d The Dungeon Master had, finally, taken a solemn tone.\u201d<\/p>\n
How though? I suppose we\u2019ll find out. I wonder if I\u2019ll be able to puzzle out a hypothesis during the recording.<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\n\u201cYou sure you don\u2019t want, say, a backpack that can get you mundane stuff from Earth?\u201d
\n\u201cIs that on the table?\u201d I asked, eyes going wide. Then I frowned. \u201cWait, how would that even work? Would I just pull a backpack out of my soul somehow?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019ll think of something,\u201d he replied. \u201cIt\u2019s nice that you thought about what would happen to your party members, but in this case I think that creature comforts from home are probably the better option. Not that I’ll compel you one way or another, it’s your choice to make.\u201d
\n\u201cOkay, I\u2019ll take the backpack,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Neato! Cell phone, matches, recording\/surveillance equipment\u2026 I wonder what the limits will be on this thing.<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\nI looked around the white void. \u201cI don\u2019t like you,\u201d I said to the Dungeon Master. \u201cYou\u2019re not forgiven. Nothing you\u2019ve done is excusable. You\u2019re responsible for every evil thing that happens on Aerb. I know you know that, and I know you don\u2019t care, but I need to say it.\u201d
\n\u201cSure, fine,\u201d said the Dungeon Master. \u201cYou know the way out.\u201d<\/p>\n
I get he\u2019s pissed because god is a dick, but I still think it\u2019s a bad idea to give god the middle finger.<\/p>\n
August 1, 2021
\nAnd as he said it, I realized he was right. I snapped my fingers and left.
\nThere\u2019s nothing else you wanted to talk about with the guy? You could have at least asked more questions! He\u2019d probably have refused to answer, but now you\u2019ll never know!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
These are Steven’s Notes for chapters 77-79. Usually they are only published on the Patreon feed, but we got to 35 Patrons, and Steven liked this set in particular, so we’re releasing these to everyone. Lies and Damned Lies July 27, 2021 \u201cCome on, let\u2019s talk about this in\u2026 Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-podcast"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hpmorpodcast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hpmorpodcast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hpmorpodcast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hpmorpodcast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hpmorpodcast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2869"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hpmorpodcast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2870,"href":"https:\/\/hpmorpodcast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2869\/revisions\/2870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hpmorpodcast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hpmorpodcast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hpmorpodcast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}