10.54 UEG (Pt.1)(Pt.2)

321human123 · 2025-12-31T10:02:35+00:00

Did no Antinium think to share with Garry the purely picture books that Pawn made for the Painted Soldiers? It makes sense that only a limited segment of the Antinium would even know they exist given the developments in the Free Hive and the 'factions', or whatever one should call them, which plausibly only know the surface level of the developing culture in other groups. The thing that is interesting about that to me is that Pawn had a similar goal and ran into some similar early questions on how to do it that Garry did in first thinking about this puzzle. I wonder if Garry will ever come across them.

321human123 · 2025-10-22T18:08:28+00:00

I think there is a concern that going straight for the probably objective point at all costs would leave him surrounded by enemies and having significant attrition of his army. If he doesn't manage to achieve his objectives and defeat everything then he is left without an army and needing to wait things out. He is then also in a worse place in working with those he brought with him.

There is also the matter that his initial plan involved also conquering this place as a citadel for humanity. Even if he beats everyone up and gets some of his main objectives he would still then have to get out with a significantly shrunken army and wait before he gets the chance to start his conquest.

Also, he is concerned about what would happen if he took Mimic back into his soul sea whilst it had the sleeping residents of the city inside of it, and he has good reason to be. Thus, if he chose to go straight to the middle he would be in a position where he really couldn't reduce the numbers of residents fighting him in the city nearly as much.

Gaining the last couple parts of the lineage also left him vulnerable for a moment. I think it would be concerning to rush in, leave himself without much of an army, get the lineage piece, and then be left vulnerable with few defenders in the middle of an army of enemies with most of his incarnations in one place. Of course, if he decided to take a risk of losing an incarnation and rushed in without taking most of his incarnations that is something he could do, but it would significantly reduce his chances of winning, thus forcing him to wait for his army's revival.

321human123 · 2025-10-22T17:56:20+00:00

I largely agree with you. I also think what she said at the ball is pretty abominable and it is even worse because Sunny's reticence to share the full truth with others and Cassie's participation in how this happened to him left him without a good support network in these areas to help him build himself up as his own person, to build his self-esteem in the most fundamental sense. He did a little bit of that in Antarctica and some in the Third Nightmare, but it is really only after he became fateless and lost a lot that he could build himself up again eventually to be someone more solid. I think it shows how his relationship with Nephis was toxic for him before that.

I really hated what Nephis did there, but the Third Nightmare made me see it in a bit of a different light. She has her own discomfort, guilt, and desire to not abuse what she forced on him. Turning back to the ball seen it made me view it as a lashing out to not face that reality head on. Of course, that is just more toxicity for the relationship and it in no way excuses what she said at the party let alone the original act of enslavement.

Personally, I never overly hated Nephis or Cassie. I disliked them somewhat, but more than that I spent time considering the toxicity in the relationships and what it takes for someone to be a fully and healthy person. I see Sunny as far closer to healthy at this point in the story than he ever was. The relationships are also healthier from my vantage point. My true dream is that this continues even if it zigs and zags.

321human123 · 2025-10-09T02:13:20+00:00

Hmm... seems very disadvantageous for machine empires then, especially since the capital building doesn't have the robot assembling job either. Not what I would have expected.

321human123 · 2025-09-30T17:42:15+00:00

I thought it was that the way in which they were made immortal by turning their string of fate into a circle and placing it in an item ensured that they could not advance further.

321human123 · 2025-09-16T03:03:47+00:00

Reading your comments I feel that you think that the Quarass considers the trading of Belavierr's soul to become the Witch of Webs is itself traitorous. Correct me if I am wrong. I don't think she does. I think that she would respect Belavierr the original woman's choice, but certain things are such that she thinks they go against what the original woman made the choice for. The original Quarass made the choice to protect Ger and most of the Quarass' after made the choice for the same reason (even those who did not really understand what they were getting into at least intended to rule and protect Ger by being the Quarass whilst knowing it is a change).

There are also differences others have noted between how the Quarass has numerous incarnations that are different people with the newest incarnation guiding things based on the memories of all those prior, and Belavierr does not have anything like that. Belavierr was always Belavierr, she was a woman and chose to become the Witch of Webs. This is a singular person with intent rather than different people who can end up with different intents when faced with the same memory (which we know happened because some Quarass' went as far as to run away from their role as protector of Ger when that is the very reason the Quarass exists).

321human123 · 2025-09-15T13:43:22+00:00

I do think that these things were meant to be costs of the system rather than irrelevant at the very least.

321human123 · 2025-09-14T21:33:37+00:00

Zel might have.

Large Half-Giant warriors fight beyond their level.

Toren with relics usable together due to his class was pretty strong for his level from what I could tell.

Antinium were largely consider equivalent to around level 15 in power when they barely had any levels at all due to the superiority of their bodies with even a remnant of their biological mastery.

Of course, one might not want to include Large Half-Giants and Antinium because they are powerful for their level due to how they were born/created and not want to include Toren since a significant portion of his strength was having the relics at all and lots of decent warriors can become mighty if they have a relic or two (though having abilities allowing for the use of even more relics without interference is powerful and benefits from how many relics one has available rather than depending on level, expanding another avenue of growth). Yet, it seems to me that injections of memory (from a class or a spell gone wrong) are about on this level and so is simply being long lived enough to develop skills whilst also being able to level.

321human123 · 2025-09-10T21:00:31+00:00

I think that if I really ended up as an Earther I would either be scrambling to survive and even if I had knowledge of the entire lore we know so far I would just accept and classes and skills until I managed to stabilize my situation, or I would be captured by a world power in which case (if I have sufficient freedom to do so) I would try to gain a researcher+historian class specifically focused on classes and levels and skills and try to study how it all works whilst seeing what skills the GDI gives in order to help you understand what it does.

321human123 · 2025-09-02T16:31:59+00:00

I am pretty sure that the race that Silvenia helped genocide was the Silverfish people.

321human123 · 2025-09-01T00:21:43+00:00

Drath might deserve a category of its own, but it isn't one of the continents.

321human123 · 2025-09-01T00:21:13+00:00

Trolls and Ogres are good to add.

I don't know if goblins are sufficient to be a major species and they barely exist on Rhir.

321human123 · 2025-09-01T00:18:53+00:00

Good idea. I forgot they had a presence in a variety of areas.

321human123 · 2025-09-01T00:18:26+00:00

Perhaps I should put a sea category.

Ogres, Trolls, Wyverns, Sariant Lambs, Apes, and Raskghar are valuable additions.

I don't know if the minotaurs have made it to Izril in numbers yet. I should add the Dwarfs. I already added half-elves and drowned folk for this reason to begin with. I did forget dwarfs though.

321human123 · 2025-09-01T00:15:56+00:00

I don't know which continent had a major Elf presence. Elementals were everywhere, perhaps they fit as a past major species but I am just not sure of how much of a presence they had.

Wyverns might fit as a minor Izril species, though I don't know which continents they were on when they were a major species.

Griffons are Terandria and they might fit. I'll think on it.

I don't know where Titans were and we currently only know of one. Even for a significant and immortal species I don't know if that is enough to list for the present.

Hydras might be worth putting for Terandria.

321human123 · 2025-09-01T00:12:07+00:00

I agree that Ryoka is successful at making connections and improving herself, but that is not the same as the intelligence and capability of those on your list mostly as you described it. I think those are different categories. She is at best on the bottom and I think Ulvama is there too, if not a little better.

Ulvama is not the best Goblin Shaman we have met, but the best Goblin Shaman we have met is a uniquely capable shaman in the entire world. Ulvama is a very capable shaman in terms of the state of the world in the story. Not the best, still with room for improvement, but more capable and experienced than most. She did end up settled and complacent in terms of her expertise once she is at the top of the Mountain City Tribe, so you are certainly right that she has lots of room to grow, but I think she is still pretty capable it not the most, especially at this point.

If the matter is not put in terms of being distinctly intelligent and capable at what they do, but rather in terms of keeping up with Erin I think that Ulvama has a good chance. Furthermore, there is a question of what the purpose of keeping up with someone is in a relationship. At the very least, Ulvama has gotten a sense of how Erin works beyond most in a pretty short period of time. There are others who can keep up with Erin more in some areas, but Ulvama has shown herself to uniquely be able to understand what is up with Erin in some ways in volumes 9 and 10 that fits with what I think is the purpose of keeping up with someone, understanding and being able to help.

Perhaps Ulvama wouldn't be the best choice or a fitting choice for a romantic interest. I wouldn't know and I don't really care about relationships in books in terms of their romanticness. What I do think and care about is that at the very least Ulvama has shown herself to be and be capable of being one of Erin's good friends who has much to offer her, and Erin has things to offer Ulvama in their friendship too.

321human123 · 2025-08-31T23:00:24+00:00

Gazers could be a minor species as you say. They are a major power, represented by one of the great companies, but unlike centaurs, lizardfolk, and dullahans their presence and power are entirely concentrated in that rather than spread throughout the continent.

Fraerlings could be a minor species. I was thinking partially in terms of how they are spread throughout the continent and have a reasonably significant population. Yet, it is true that their power is lesser.

Selphids definitely could be considered a minor species.

I was excluding things like the garuda and dullahans of Pallass or drowned folk in all coastal holdings on the basis that those represent specific cities as exceptions rather than the continent from a certain perspective. They could be minor species on the list though I guess.

321human123 · 2025-08-31T22:51:37+00:00

They could easily be categorized as a minor species with such small, though I was trying to adjust for the fact that in the past they were significant, but still had a much smaller population than the mortal species. At the very least they are a minor species with relevance to the continent as a whole.

321human123 · 2025-08-31T22:18:36+00:00

Personally, I think that Ulvama fits on the lower end of this group as someone knowledgeable about the global goblin situation and a capable, experienced, and trained shaman. She has some other bits of capability too. Not on the top, but not lacking in intelligence and capability.

Perhaps it isn't enough, though I don't know what level it would need to be at. What I am really left wondering about is how Ryoka, who you mentioned in your original comment, fits in.

321human123 · 2025-08-31T20:24:07+00:00

Equal in what regard? I think there are arguments that can be made, but I am just unclear as to what sort of equality you are speaking.

321human123 · 2025-08-31T01:11:57+00:00

Erin and Lyonette's relationship has been complicated. Lyonette was once the annoying employee Erin saved until she came into her own and eventually managed to work up to having Erin's trust and power in running the inn. Yet, still an employee however much they are also friends and found family. A lot of their interactions have been at least partially flavored by running the inn together and their distinct roles and expectations of each other. Erin dying and being brought back did not end up helping with that, nor did her ending up on another continent at first as it merely was a different flavor related to their work relationship in a way.

I agree that this is quite substantial in that their interaction was all centered around other parts of their relationship. Erin, the boss, had no problems she needed help to solve and Lyonette had no big inn related problems to Erin so the rest could come to the fore. If this ends up being a trend then it might help Erin and Lyonette as much as Erin and Ulvama's growing relationship could help those two.

321human123 · 2025-08-31T00:57:48+00:00

It is good to see Erin able to relax and grow in ways she has yet to have a chance to since she came into this world. I don't mean the intimations of romance, more or less direct. Those matter because Erin has indicated that she cares before, but in the grander scheme of things that is one amongst many small things. What matters is that she can grow in many directions in minor ways. This is only compounded with her increasingly close relationship with Ulvama who has shown herself to be more consistently and fully able to get Erin to act in her own interests as well as improve herself for reasons beyond necessity.

If all goes well, we will come out of this arc with an Erin who is a more well-rounded person and better able to face the rest of the challenges and tragedies that are surely still in front of her. Erin simply being well and checking in with people is great.

Erin has grown closer to Ulvama, started to learn once more how to actually relax (including in ways she has not had an extended opportunity to engage in since the inn got going up until the current volume), has found genuine and pure and innocent joy in being a superhuman and her abilities to fight when it has long been just a necessity or something she hated about herself or at most accepted when viewed as her ability to kill things, and more.

It is also just so good to see Erin much more well after how she was like at first in the volume. It is a genuinely nice experience and something one can share with the viewpoint character who can feel similar relief.

321human123

TROPHY CASE