aspect slander pt. 8 - Void s0mething of a c0old0wn slander after that last mess. i consider there tw0 be three major 0ddballs for aspects: breath, v0id, and rage. aspects which are the least defined and work in ways least directly in service 0f skaia's goals. d0esn't mean i think they're pro0f it doesn't have them, just that whatever level they're w0rking on is harder t0 immediately grasp. 'void is n0thingness' is a comm0n misconcepti0n. nothing d0esn't exist (eheheh.) but seriously, it's n0t giving you literally n0thing, you can't give what d0esn't exist. i w0uld argue that even mores0 than the frog aspect v0id exists for c0ntrast, two give 0ther things meaning. it is more accurately: the aspect of secrets and absentia, a w0rd with a more accurate c0nnotati0n than 'nothing.' if anything it's m0re of the space aspect than the fr0g one ever c0uld be, powers interacting with the absence 0f somethings that we call n0thing for lack 0f better words. y0u can make it sound as edgy as y0u like but rx wouldn't be creating jacque fucking shit with her abilities were it truly bent 0n nothingness. y0u can't steal nothing, because n0thing doesn't exist. y0u can however fill an absence with s0mething. i don't think y0u could ever pr0ve a meaningful difference between a space player teleporting s0mething and a void player filling an absence with that same s0mething that isn't pedantic. and i don't think skaia cares 0r would be able t0 tell the difference even when i finally have my fronds ar0und its neck. pedantry aside, it's these nuances that end up fucking 0ver a void player in the end. v0id gets gifted two th0se skaia wants silenced. the ones m0st likely to keep secrets fr0m themself and others, tw0 hide who y0u are and push down y0ur own feelings. great f0r group c0hesion, terrible f0r whoever is shutting themselves up f0r the greater go0d. there's all manner of ways t0 incentivize it. equius was a fucking freak but ultimately a harmless one. if y0u lo0k back rationally and ign0re how unpleasant he might've been t0 interact with, eq was a massive contribut0r two the gr0up effort. fucked up as it is, he was the team medic. vriska's arm, tv's legs, aa's body (i kn0w i know but we're f0cusing here). he crammed d0wn all his freak shit two make that happen and we made him d0 it. nob0dy gave a fuck about letting eq say his sweaty, euphemistic piece besides np and it's pr0bably why he died. there was never an interest in rehabilitating his issues, or kinks lets be real, and they g0t him killed. nob0dy was stronger than eq. that fuckhead cl0wn knew it, thats why he didn't try and 'fight' him. eq hid every weird thing he was for the sake 0f the group and was discarded f0r it. i doubt rx wants me rehashing her pr0blems with bo0ze either, so i can gl0ss over them by attributing it tw0 the same factor. hiding 0ne's real self by any means necessary even as it's killing you. thank fuck she made it 0ut alright but it lo0ks pretty obvi0us in retrospect that the same p0ison was being used under a new name. it's an aspect built t0 feed off insecurities and squeeze s0meone with them intw0 a more useful m0uld. nothing can't break, rust, 0r shatter. but it also d0esn't really matter. if you're n0t careful it will make a player into s0mething that doesn't exist except as a c0ntrast. and loneliness is never str0nger than when you're surr0unded by other pe0ple.
bonus drivel: v0id also tends two be c0nflated with the horr0rterrors a l0t. they've got an affinity f0r it. note that it's far fr0m exclusive, just lo0k at ff or the 0ther lalonde, any0ne can go and get themselves mixed up and fucked up by th0se things if they really want. but whatever they are is tied strongly t0 secrecy, forbidden kn0wledge and literally existing where there is the most lack 0f everything. which will unfailingly draw in void players with any kind 0f strong curi0sity. you're given unique access tw0 the concept 0f secrecy and some dipshit will unfailingly start picking up the crumbs that lead right int0 the maw of 0ne. makes me think there's an element of bait, 0r deliberate sacrifice going 0n between the horr0rterrors and their w0rse counterpart in the center 0f the medium.
"h1d1n5 one's real self by any means necessa2y even as 1t's k1ll1n5 you" ...I hate how much th1s makes me feel called out.