#im not sure how to place sol's relationship with the truth

[amygdaline]

Thinking about the different relationships characters have with “Truth” in Axiom’s End and Truth of the Divine...

- For Nils, truth is a human right but some people are more human than others. Nils’s slogan is “truth is a human right.” But his actions in TODT paint him as either cognitive dissonance-ing himself away from his own lies, or as a blatant, corrupted manipulator. Truth is a human right, except when he secretly blackmails Kaveh, schemes to indoctrinate his children for gain, and requests political favors in exchange for information. 

- For Kaveh, the means to truth do not justify the ends if the means cause more suffering than the ends prevent. Kaveh worked with Nils on at least one of the same projects, outing government atrocities that Sol was wrapped up in. But Kaveh believes this is a truth that needs to be outed to save lives and hold the government accountable, not to get his name in an article or book. When he has the truth of what Nils is willing to do his own integrity as a truth seeker and human being helps him make the easy decision to never want to work with Nils ever again. 

- For Cora, lying is seen as a way to protect herself and protect others, but if she goes too far it does the opposite. Cora tells little white lies, usually in the pursuit of peace. “I believe you,” she says when she doesn’t believe somebody, but doesn’t want to fight. She manipulates and minces interpretations of Ampersand’s comments for the sake of keeping peace. Her omissions of truth rarely cause great harm but neither do they ever help anything. However, as her illness progresses, little white lies snowball until she’s lying about the state of her own mental health, until she breaks. She hurts herself and her loved ones by proximity.

- For Luciana, it feels like telling the truth has only caused harm in the long run. Luciana wants to believe in her own goodness, and therefore cannot conceive that she would ever do something like breaking a NDA or hurting her family. She’s so concerned with being correct that she hurts her family, anyway. And still, that truth hurts. 

- For Ampersand, the truth will only make you suffer, so omission is an act of self-sacrifice; his instability for your stability. Ampersand always lies by omission, telling half truths or distracting from the real truth. He’s exactly like Cora but to the extreme, omitting truth because he believes the truth will hurt those around him. However, he’s gone so far down this hole of omission that his problems never get solved; he hurts himself, he hurts all his loved ones, and he knows he needs help but feels too broken to seek it. 

- For Nikola, there is no reason why he needs to lie or omit; the end is near, anyway. Nikola only tells the truth, as he understands it. His truth is pessimistic but his actions optimistic, something Kaveh notes about their friendship. When he says he’s ready to die but takes care of his body and mind, he isn’t lying about wanting to die. He wants to have hope but he is compelled to let the humans understand the odds of their hopelessness, all the same. 

- For the pequod superorganism, truth is a tangible thing they can hold in their hands, and they consume it like their sister-species “consumes” planets. The general pequod society, if Nikola is right, thinks that they can keeping going and going and going, that the universe is a black-and-white thing they can pull apart. But Nikola sees it as something bigger and incomprehensible than either pequod or human beings. There is a divinity- the unknown- which they can never touch. But the superorganism will keep trying to understand, anyways. They will destroy themselves and the miracle of other intelligent life in their endless pursuit of black-and-white.

- For the human superorganism- particularly the USA where the story is set- truth is only a tool. General Porter thinks he deserves the truth on the basis of his position of power and very likely his ethnicity and sex. He wants to use it to kill people. The general government agencies depicted, including ROSA, think they deserve to know everything they can squeeze out of Ampersand, even at the expense of their alien guest’s health. Political parties want the truth by any means to use it for their own political campaigns. Even those with less power- middle class to poor people- use truth and speculation of the truth for their own agendas, to discriminate against others, particularly Jewish and Muslim communities. The truth here does more harm than good, fought over like a commodity, manipulated and repurposed. You have the truth, now what? “He was a hero,” “he was a species traitor,” he’s great for views.

[creepyfruit]

hiii so glad u had fun playing iwatex! im sending this from my main but my iwatex blog is dillypillars <3 what endings have you gotten so far and how do you feel about them?

Hi, I actually love your blog omg

I haven't had many runs in the game yet, rn I'm in the first year of my fourth, but here's the three runs I've done so far.

1st run:

Bestie: Cal

Romance: Tang

Ending: tangent's cure

Alignment: 80 Loyalty

Augment: Eagle Eyes

Like I already mentioned in a previous post tangent's cure traumatized me to the point were I haven't gotten over 30 hearts with my girl tang in any other play through. The whole ecocide that I help cause paired with the fact that Cal (who gets shot and killed in that ending) was my bestie and also all the regular first play through deaths (Tammy, Uncle Tonin, Kom, the old governor I forgot her name, both of Sol's parents, professor Hal) made me feel so horrible. Your home girl managed to eradicate a whole planet and half the cast in one play through 😍🤞.

The one thing I absolutely loved about this ending was the angst. Romancing Tangent and seeing that vision/dream in one of the later years with the planet bare of life and her crying and apologizing was so confusing but hurtful. And then I actually got the ending and omg my hearttt. Poor Tang crying while that lunatic Lum pulled her up on stage and praised and congratulated her broke me. But the icing on the cake is what came after, Sol following Tang after she run of stage. Honestly I might go back to that save to try the other dialogue options but the whole scene of Sol finding out she helped cause this and then the truth about how Lum was forcing them do it and finally Sol forgiving Tang and telling her she still loves her. Ouch

2nd run

Bestie: Nem

Romance: Marz

Ending: Standard Ending as a Novelist

Alignment: 100 rebellion

Augment: Calm Temperament

My second play through was much more uneventful and light-hearted. I still managed to somehow forget to save uncle Tonin and I couldn't save my parents but the fact that Tammy was alive and that I focused on all the yellow stats set me up for a peaceful run. I worked in places I hadn't touched before and therefore I got a lot of fun and cute little work events. My absolute favourite thing about this run (beside the Marz romance ofc) was the whole secret club thing. It was soooo cute and such a sweet reminder that, hey these are still a bunch of little kids. Also the art piece of them solving that mystery is so close to my heart simply because of how adorable Tang looks in it.

I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't stay with Marz in the end but it makes for a realistic story that's for sure (also Marz getting with Tang for a short while after the break up made me giggle, my ship has sailed) I also didn't mange to work at the bar enough so the twins didn't get their moment.

3rd run:

Bestie: Dys

Romance: Nem

Ending: Disabling the Array

Alignment: 80 rebellion

Augment: Super Strength

My latest play through was interesting to say the least. I managed to save my mom finally although I didn't have high enough empathy at the time my dad died (stupid shimmer I have no idea how to cure it yet) and our relationship went to shit. I really wanted to focus on explorations and meeting Sym and I achieved that. I actually thought that disabling the array was a great compromise and I would consider it the best ending if it didn't force me to become besties with Vace in the epilogue, minus points for nemmie breaking up with me as well. I don't like Sym but I still felt kinda bad for taking away his immortality but at the end of the day between submission to the stupid gardeners and constant glow attacks I'll take this ending without a doubt.

Yet another ending were I couldn't keep Dys at the colony because he, yet again, disappeared and was never seen again. I was pretty certain that he wouldn't like this path given how much he sympathises with the gardeners for reasons I still can't understand but it still sucked to see him go since him and Sol spent so much time as expedition buddies. I honestly wish the creators didn't push this ending as the "asshole military dude who wants to kill all the poor animals". Like no I just want to leave peacefully while admiring and coexisting with the planet's native flora and fauna without having the ai soldiers over my head trying to kill me very year.

[maplestreetsims]

❁ Character Facts ❁

Name ➔ Valeria Valerie Boston

► Are you single ➔ yes

► Are you happy ➔ If I were any better, I'd be illegal.

► Are you angry? ➔ my only state of mind

► Are your parents still married ➔ no, thank god

NINE FACTS

► Birth Place ➔  back of a taxi cab in selvadorada, a great start huh

► Hair Color ➔ Brown....i mean, green atm

► Eye Color ➔ Brown

► Birthday ➔ 18th of december, a true capricorn

► Mood ➔  Living a life of denial and suppressed rage.

► Gender ➔ Female

► Summer or winter ➔ uhh summer, i guess, thats the only season del sol seems to have

► Morning or afternoon ➔ Morings after staying up all night

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

► Are you in love ➔ no

► Do you believe in love at first sight ➔ not a chance, i dont belive in real love, period

► Who ended your last relationship ➔ who??? like as in another person?? lmfaoo

► Have you ever broken someone’s heart ➔ I dont know? 

► Are you afraid of commitments ➔ not really.. im everyones ride or die

► Have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ yeah, my cat bat...and sam, i think

► Have you ever had a secret admirer ➔ thousands, who wouldnt wanna get a pice of this?????

► Have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ yeah

SIX CHOICES

► Love or lust ➔ Lust

► Lemonade or iced tea ➔ Lemonadeeeeeee, bitter, just like me

► Cats or Dogs ➔ Cats...everyone gives them shit just bc they’re the superior pet an thats the truth yall just dont wanna see it

► A few best friends or many regular friends ➔ i mean...The guys from the band? sam, skylar and ray..... first one that i met was sky when i moved out here, she’s my neighbour and our moms bonded over their divorces or whatever the fuck, i met sam at school....at first i fucking hated her but she’s actualle pretty chill, and ray... when we decided to make the band, we needed a bassist, sam told us she knew the perfect guy and thats how i met him...i dont know much about the guy now that i think about it.

► Wild night out or romantic night in ➔ wild night out babey!!!

► Day or night ➔ night ofc, im a bat... i have one tatted on my chest, wanna see??

FOUR HAVE YOU EVERS

► Been caught sneaking out ➔ back when i slept in the house i would get caught all the time, but after i moved to the garage i just never got caught anymore, my mom wouldnt even notice that i was gone thankfully

► Fallen down/up the stairs ➔ *flips ice cream* did you know i skate? i never fall baby

► Wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ when i was a kid i really wanted my parents to get a divorce... that shit ended up backfiring on me tho lmao  

► Wanted to disappear ➔ always looking for a way out

FOUR PREFERENCES

► Smile or eyes ➔ ‘eyes are the windows to the soul’ that’s what people say, right?

► Shorter or Taller ➔ uhhh.... taller? idk...im pretty avarage height myself, but everyone around me seems to disGREE and its ANNOYING

► Intelligence or Attraction ➔ attraction??? i know that sounds bad but hear me out.... the smartest person that i know is my cat, and he’s not even a person

► Hook-up or Relationship ➔ Hook up, im not good at relationships surprise surprise

FAMILY

► Do you and your family get along ➔ ...Not at all, me and my mom.. used to get along, when i was little, and my dad, i never liked him...haven’t seen him since the divorce 6 years ago so does that answer your question?

► Would you say you have a “messed up life” ➔ Everyones life is fucked up...just, depends on the degree

► Have you ever ran away from home ➔  no...but im sure i could figure myself out

► Have you ever gotten kicked out ➔ once my mom took my car keys, (which also had the garage key on them) because of something that went on at school, so i got locked out and spent the night at sky’s... she felt really bad abt it and apologized...so

FRIENDS

► Do you secretly hate one of your friends ➔ nope

► Do you consider all of your friends good friends ➔ yeah i would say so

► Who is your best friend ➔ BAT

► Who knows everything about you ➔ uh.. i dont know, i mean... there used to be a girl back when i was a kid... i pretty much told her everything... i dont even know why, but i guess her