Ren'Py Lessons in Love [v0.42.0] [Selebus]

[Comiies]

Another great catch. I forgot to go over the mentions of cage, too... My last post was a little rushed, honestly.
My initial reaction is that these few instances aren't linked, I'm maybe a couple more mentions away from being totally convinced, but I can't disregard it either. It's easy to say Maya and the letter's lines are just coincidentally similar analogies, but the idea that Pareidolia or someone else wants to cage Akira or use him as some sort of puppeted / performance animal seems well supported and plausible. I'll have to rewatch Amy, I'm definitely not prepared to read into it and propose anything yet. If this caged man is linked to the letter deliberately, that lends more credence than I gave credit for.
I'd say we wait for more mentions, and possibly hope that this is gonna be a clue about Pareidolia or the 9th god going forward, but someone with more insight might be able to gleam more from what we already have and look for things I missed

Well for now Pareidolas motivations are unknown.I mean sure you can whip up a theory or 2 with some vague evidence about how Pareidola wants to use sensei to dethrone the ninth god or how Pareidola wants to cuck Ayane or smt but i dont think its that complicated.

Pareidola is a malevolent god that uses Akira as his outlet for that vitriol and hostility.I believe that Pareidola both enjoys watching Akira deprave himself and maybe he has something to gain from Akira reaching the lowest of the lows.I mean correct me if im wrong but if Pareidola *just* enjoyed tormenting Akira his dialogue would show it.No its something else(He does enjoy doing that i just mean that he needs akira to break in order for...a reason?)

 

[PhiloPhilo]

Well for now Pareidolas motivations are unknown.I mean sure you can whip up a theory or 2 with some vague evidence about how Pareidola wants to use sensei to dethrone the ninth god or how Pareidola wants to cuck Ayane or smt but i dont think its that complicated.

Pareidola is a malevolent god that uses Akira as his outlet for that vitriol and hostility.I believe that Pareidola both enjoys watching Akira deprave himself and maybe he has something to gain from Akira reaching the lowest of the lows.I mean correct me if im wrong but if Pareidola *just* enjoyed tormenting Akira his dialogue would show it.No its something else(He does enjoy doing that i just mean that he needs akira to break in order for...a reason?)

Pareidolia definitely has unexplored motives and his place in the universe / amongst other users is fuzzy in my opinion. I don't have much new to say about him honestly because I think we're missing a lot, and I personally believe that the name Pareidolia itself (and some other language used to describe him) hints at us having a warped/obfuscated understanding or view of him. As for those unanswered questions and what they mean, I don't know. I'm definitely a third-rate lore master with a fourth-rate memory. The lore daddies and chads can handle that while I ramble on about Himawari and lambs, and draw them in Paint

 

[Antosha]

The amount of hidden text in this message is making me think of [REDACTED] and ████ from the SCP.

lol

Fair. I mean, I put all of that behind spoiler tags because... I mean, they're spoilers.

 

[BlackDays]

Some things about Ami/Amy.

When "AmIOkay" or "YouDidIt", don't know who exactly that was, mentioned Amy possibly killing Niki, and someone here pointed out that Amy might be an Ami from a previous cycle, i wonder if that draws back a line to when Hope mentioned that he knows that girl (Yumi) by a different name.
And if that name could have been something like Yumy, Yuni or something similar.

Since Amy is residing in Pareidolias mall, maybe Ami is also connected to Pareidolia.
The times she talks to an invisible entity, i can't imagine that being Sekai.
I don't think Ami would talk like that with her mother.
Pareidolia on the other hand, given it's shitty attitude, seems more likely. After that maybe Hope or the unknown 4th god or even Amy.
And then there's also Amis "death" before the Maya incident.
Even Himawari was involved and Himawari seems to be, i guess, involuntarily working for Pareidolia, which would further suggest Ami is also working with Pareidolia.

One more thing is something i wonder about.
Chika said the Mall is under construction.
When the forrest camping group drove back home, someone in the car mentioned that there is a new construction side along the road.
Was that the Mall or maybe something different?

 

[DeSkel15]

Well for now Pareidolas motivations are unknown.I mean sure you can whip up a theory or 2 with some vague evidence about how Pareidola wants to use sensei to dethrone the ninth god or how Pareidola wants to cuck Ayane or smt but i dont think its that complicated.

Pareidola is a malevolent god that uses Akira as his outlet for that vitriol and hostility.I believe that Pareidola both enjoys watching Akira deprave himself and maybe he has something to gain from Akira reaching the lowest of the lows.I mean correct me if im wrong but if Pareidola *just* enjoyed tormenting Akira his dialogue would show it.No its something else(He does enjoy doing that i just mean that he needs akira to break in order for...a reason?)

Pareidolia actually seems to like Ayane:

Spoiler

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And seems to imply it approves of her development. I mean, she definitely seemed to be part of it's plans so far.

As for Pareidolia's goal:
It seems to want Sensei to inseminate certain girls so that it can "sing again" through them, and "consume" them, or at least that seems to be what it suggested with Karin:

Spoiler

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Presumably, virgins are the target, as Io seemed more like a side project than a goal for Pareidolia.

Pareidolia also is the one who claimed that all the C-gods want a Sacrifice:

Spoiler

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Tormenting and fucking around with Sensei seems to be more of a hobby for it.

Spoiler: gods/USERS stuff

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[Comiies]

Pareidolia actually seems to like Ayane:

Spoiler

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And seems to imply it approves of her development. I mean, she definitely seemed to be part of it's plans so far.

As for Pareidola's goal:
It seems to want Sensei to inseminate certain girls so that it can "sing" through them, and "consume" them, or at least that seems to be what it suggested with Karin:

Spoiler

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Presumably virgins are the target, as Io seemed more like a side project than a goal for Pareidola.

Pareidola also is the one who claimed that all the C-gods want a Sacrifice:

Spoiler

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Tormenting and fucking around with Sensei seems to be more of a hobby for it.

Spoiler: gods/USERS stuff

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Why would the others not accept Pareidolia hmmmmm.Is it because they share the same goal but Pareidolias way of achieving it is too...barbaric?Is that what it is?Are the gods just ethically correct cunts?

Realistically though i would accept for hope to,at the very least sympathize with Pareidolia.I mean Hope with his whole "YOU MUST TAKE SOMETHING THAT ISNT YOURS" and "FOR HOW LONG WILL YOU KEEP RUNNING?" stick is eerily similar with Pareidolia.But i suppose that Hopes obsession is soley on akira.

But yea it seems that with the non existant info we have now for some reason Pareidola is an outsider,an outcast,something that no god accepts.

 

[aramaug]

Didn't know of The Quiet Earth, very interesting. I've wondered before if Selebus might have taken some inspiration from Gene Wolfe's story "The Death of Doctor Island". Extremely troubled youths are sent to an isolated location for "therapy" and aren't allowed to leave until they're fixed, but it turns out one of the patients is special and his treatment is prioritized over the others, to the point of having him kill another patient as part of his treatment. I get very similar vibes with broken people being sent to Kumon-mi, but Akira is allowed to take priority over all of the rest. Also chock full of allusions to poetry, the bible, and mythology.

After posting this, I decided to reread "The Death of Dr. Island" for the first time in years and found that there's another very uncanny similarity to LiL that I had completely forgotten about:
The story's protagonist is haunted by memories of (and seemingly feels guilt for) the death of a girl who was his fellow patient at a mental hospital. The dead girl's name is Maya and she's described as being 15 or 16-years-old. Here's a couple of his memories of her that stood out to me:

• ""Like this," Maya said, and held her legs together and extended her arms, to make a three-bladed bike prop or a crucifix."
• "[W]hen he saw Maureen or any of the others in the rec room they talked about the Good Old Days. It had not seemed like Good Old Days then except that Maya had been there."

I think Wolfe and Selebus likely chose the name Maya for the same reason, as a reference to the Hindu concept of Maya, the illusion that veils the true nature of the world, which for LiL connects to the theme of perception.

A few other parallels between the story and LiL:

• The titular Dr. Island is an artificial intelligence that is both the controller of the contained "world" that is the asylum and the embodiment of that world itself. It speaks to the patients directly in their minds and is basically their god.
• The protagonist has previously had split-brain surgery and has two minds controlling a single body. At the end of the story, Dr. Island forces his previously dormant side to take over, making him a prisoner in his own mind.
• There's a pivotal scene in the protagonist's own "treatment" where, thanks to a spacial anomaly, he's able to put his hands on his own shoulders, but they feel like the hands of a stranger.

 

[Dc345]

Spoiler: Picture Message Preview

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[Dc345]

Spoiler: Dear God Anything But That

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[DeSkel15]

Why would the others not accept Pareidolia hmmmmm.Is it because they share the same goal but Pareidolias way of achieving it is too...barbaric?Is that what it is?Are the gods just ethically correct cunts?

Realistically though i would accept for hope to,at the very least sympathize with Pareidolia.I mean Hope with his whole "YOU MUST TAKE SOMETHING THAT ISNT YOURS" and "FOR HOW LONG WILL YOU KEEP RUNNING?" stick is eerily similar with Pareidolia.But i suppose that Hopes obsession is soley on akira.

But yea it seems that with the non existant info we have now for some reason Pareidola is an outsider,an outcast,something that no god accepts.

In theory:

• Callous/HOPE wants to Fix everything.
• Calm/USER2 seems to want to maintain Order.
• Concerned/Pareidolia wants to "sing" or just have fun.

That's probably why the others don't accept it. It's also cruel and seemed to be the one who crumbled Maya Prime.

HOPE wants Sensei to fuck the girls, but it seems to be more along the lines of it being for their own good. Hence Yasu talking about "saving" them all the time.

USER2 isn't entirely clear, but it seems protective and if Sensei fucking the girls protects them, or is how things are supposed to go, that's probably it's goal. Then again, it's seemed a little bloodthirsty lately through Tsuneyo, so it might also be preparing to Reset things, now that Pareidolia got involved.

Pareidolia seems to just want Sensei to rape and fuck girls for the most part. Maya Prime being someone who Sensei may stop fucking others for, is possibly the reason why it got rid of her. Also with her gone, it seems to lead to Sensei becoming "The Collector".

 

[Pedro4545454]

Spoiler: Dear God Anything But That

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God, put something in Selly's head so he doesn't do this, I beg you!

Could this be where Yasu's scene with Touka will be??? I swear if it is I will be very, very disappointed with Selly.

 

[Breadtaker]

Spoiler: Dear God Anything But That

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Was the reaction to the Nodokathon different on the discord? I remember just about everyone here not liking it.

 

[PhiloPhilo]

Why would the others not accept Pareidolia hmmmmm.Is it because they share the same goal but Pareidolias way of achieving it is too...barbaric?Is that what it is?Are the gods just ethically correct cunts?

Realistically though i would accept for hope to,at the very least sympathize with Pareidolia.I mean Hope with his whole "YOU MUST TAKE SOMETHING THAT ISNT YOURS" and "FOR HOW LONG WILL YOU KEEP RUNNING?" stick is eerily similar with Pareidolia.But i suppose that Hopes obsession is soley on akira.

But yea it seems that with the non existant info we have now for some reason Pareidola is an outsider,an outcast,something that no god accepts.

We have little reason to think that the users want the same things. They're all out for their own interests or themselves. Their end goals may necessitate similar actions (such as a sacrifice, Akira impregnating or using girls, etc.) but that's most likely because causing Akira to be restored or destroyed, or gaining something from the actions is what gives them power or leads to their desired endgoal. Wires and Hope certainly aren't aligned, and Pareidolia pretty blatantly wants to take over for himself and dislikes the others. Each one being represented by a different season and as a being of light or dark is pretty telling, too.

 

[PhiloPhilo]

Was the reaction to the Nodokathon different on the discord? I remember just about everyone here not liking it.

The discord users... I'd rather not know what they're up to. Some things are better left unknown.

 

[Pedro4545454]

The discord users... I'd rather not know what they're up to. Some things are better left unknown.

The people there scare me a little, they seem to be all obsessed with Selly

 

[Dc345]

God, put something in Selly's head so he doesn't do this, I beg you!

Could this be where Yasu's scene with Touka will be??? I swear if it is I will be very, very disappointed with Selly.

There is no god only Selebus

 

[PhiloPhilo]

The people there scare me a little, they seem to be all obsessed with Selly

Discord users will hop on your dick faster than you can say "please don't talk about communism here."

Spoiler

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[Comiies]

In theory:

• Calm/USER2 seems to want to maintain Order.
• Callous/HOPE wants to Fix everything.
• Concerned/Pareidola wants to "sing" or just have fun.

That's probably why the others don't accept it. It's also cruel and seemed to be the one who crumbled Maya Prime.

HOPE wants Sensei to fuck the girls, but it seems to be more along the lines of it being for their own good. Hence Yasu talking about "saving" them all the time.

USER2 isn't entirely clear, but it seems protective and if Sensei fucking the girls protects them, or is how things are supposed to go, that's probably it's goal. Then again, it's seemed a little bloodthirsty lately through Tsuneyo, so it might also be preparing to Reset things, now that Pareidola got involved.

Pareidola seems to just want Sensei to rape and fuck girls for the most part. Maya Prime being someone who Sensei may stop fucking others for, is possibly the reason why it got rid of her. Also with her gone, it seems to lead to Sensei becoming "The Collector".

I see.So wires wants to maintain order,Hope wants to reform and Pareidolia wants to destory.How nice.

 

[Bingoogus]

The people there scare me a little, they seem to be all obsessed with Selly

Given that anyone who even slightly missteps there is banned, is it any wonder that nothing but lurkers and sycophants are all that remain? They're literally being selected for.

As for the Nodokathon, i'll say again, i quite liked it, the only problem i had with it was it's placement, it felt really out of place both in being placed within the dorm wars, and where it was placed in the scene chain as it dropped right after she publicly demolished Io. That whole patch had issues with it though, it's definitely once of Selly's weakest updates, absolutely crap music, unfunny DW events, boring conversations and poorly timed scene arrangements. Nodokathon should've just been it's own thing.

 

[aramaug]

My take on Pareidolia is that his main goal is simply gaining and maintaining power by any means necessary. Beyond that, he enjoys fucking with people for his own sadistic amusement.

He's been forced to sit on the sidelines for probably millions of years while USER1 and USER2 trade off seasons, never letting him in on the action. So his initial goal was to cause a reset that would bring spring in the first place. I'm still not entirely sure on the specifics of how he accomplished that, but it seemed to involve bringing back Akira's memories so that Sekai could be "restored", likely giving him much more control over Akira's mind, and then ensuring Maya Prime was killed as a sacrifice to save Akira. Since the sixth reset should have brought about winter in the normal cycle, he might also have been responsible for trapping Wires somewhere until he clawed his way out in "TH15 15NT M3" (which would also explain why Big Boy had to do the reset, which Wires probably normally did when Maya asked).

Now he's concerned with maintaining an "infinite spring", because as soon as he falls out of power he's worried that he'll be shut out again. The 0.41 events showed that his plan for this involves Sensei breaking the girls and drowning them in the wishing well. Maybe this is because it will power the well, which could make resets less necessary or give him power of his own as the currently ruling god. Or maybe it will drain the well, breaking the world and forcing the creation of a new one where he thinks he'll be better able to maintain spring. Possibly pointing to the latter is that Ami (probably under the influence of Sekai) calls spring the perfect season on the way to [Terminal] 24.

Spoiler: You & Me Against the World

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For more on Terminal/world 24 and "You & Me Against the World", see my post here, which itself quotes a Moonflare post on the same subject. The same post also has my theory that the Great Pareidolia Mall is the remnants of a defunct Terminal/world, which I briefly expanded on in the last bit of my Chapter 1 post here. There's still a lot of lore from "Amy" that I haven't tried tackling yet and would love to hear theories on, like the man in the cage and the frog at the center of the mall that spits out eggs.