Today I’m reading.
08/06/10 - "And again, in time...” (/homestuck/2366) to 08/08/10 - "======>” (/homestuck/2385)"
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Later we see Travos entering a ruin. His ability to commune with animals works on the underlings as a band of them are travelling with him. He is solving some puzzles though Vriska finds this boring.
Vriska has been scheming a way to “help” Travos get an advantage and skip ahead in the game. She provides him with a map to a great treasure horde. This seems familiar to Terezi “helping” John skip ahead in the game and nearly getting him killed. Travos is skeptical. But, Vriska claims to have used her mind-reading ability on his underling friends to find this secret. Travos wants to ask the others but Kanaya and Karkat are both busy. So Travos agrees to Vriska’s plan. She also makes him dress like Pupa Pan.
This led him into the second gate, and Vriska’s hive in the Land of Maps and Treasure and The Thief of Light. Much like John and Roses meeting, Travos smashes through her wall with his rocket chair. Vriska is asleep though she has fairy wings and some kind of white dress. Vriska wakes up, apparently only pretending to be asleep. She is in roleplay mode, as the hero pupa pan has come to take her on an adventure. With his rocket chair crashed Travos is just laying on the floor unable to really do much. So the torment begins. She tosses some “magic glitter power” at his face which only seems to make him dizzy. She comments on how useless he is. She then grabs and kisses him to make him think happy thoughts. This only confuses the hell out of him. She uses mind control to make him more.. wanting. This seems to make him madly desire her. But, she doesn't really seem to want that either and tosses him back onto the floor.
It’s clear she had other intentions here. Vriska is a character that instantly needs to be loved. She sees Travos not only does not seem to like or trust her, but the others hate her for what she did to him. Perhaps she saw romancing him as a way to get back into everyone's good graces. Though when seduction failed she opted for mind control. This was frustrating as it supports her perceptions that she isn't loved.
Till tomorrow, beware seducers, and keep riding the pumpkin tide.