- Nino: First of all, you...
- Nino: Nothing you said proves that you're me.
- Nino: All that is needed for you to do any of this is to follow me,
- Nino: Find some way to affect my dreams, and-
- Nino: ...What are you speaking back for?
- Nino: Whoa, wh... what are you doing?
- Nino: Listen well.
- Nino: If you don't know what to say,
- Nino: Then as usual, just be quiet and follow me.
- Nino: It's for the best.
Nino: Sink.
What the hell!?
Is this guy trying to stop you from answering?
Is this guy trying to stop you from answering?
As you struggle to push back, you suddenly hear it...
...You own voice.
...You own voice.
- Nino: Ahhhh, sorry, what was that?
- Nino: You totally didn't finish that thought!
- Nino: Come on, can't you give a complete answer?
The annoying version which isn't yours, that is.
Dammit! You have to say something!
You need to silence the phantom at all costs!
Nino: The most likely explanation is that he is someone using his ability to influence your mind, perhaps even causing your memory loss in the first place, so that he could manipulate you like this.
- Nino: You, you're just...
- Nino: Someone using an ability to... gh...!
- Nino: What, is that all you can muster?
- Nino: That's pretty sad.
What nonsense is this!?
How could he taunt you when you're so clearly struggling here?
How could he taunt you when you're so clearly struggling here?
Ugh, no matter what, you have to say something and put him in his place!
Nino: His ability likely allows him to implant and remove memories from a being, which he used to both remove your memories when you arrived here, and to implant a false mantra meant to deceive you.
You try to vocalize those thoughts, but you find yourself unable to do anything against the pressure. Deep, vast, and dark, the ocean gradually swallows up your thoughts, yet its hunger remains insatiable.
The harder you try to fight it off, the more you sink.
And suddenly, it clicks in your mind.
This is punishment, a punishment for betraying someone.
- Nino: Hey, this is a pretty sad struggle to watch.
- Nino: So let's just be honest here.
- Nino: Those answers reek of desperation.
- Nino: This'll be easier if you just accept the facts, you know?
Naturally, the betrayed gets to enact the punishment.
As the betrayer, you were condemned to sink into infinity, and forever forbidden from taking even a single unauthorized step beyond that which was previously dictated.
...No, no, how could that be the case?
No one besides yourself has any authority over your actions. Then and now, and even in the future, this simple fact will never change.
So rather than righteous retribution...
Isn't this simply misery seeking company, as usual?
No, you won't let yourself sink like they have.
In order to rise, you must become as light as a feather.
The first step is to shed away the heavy weight dragging you down.
Nino: Face the phantom again. Say that he is a memory. You can learn from your memories, but you don't just keep doing whatever past you thought was a good idea.
- Nino: Oh, haven't given up yet?
- Nino: Now that's more like me.
- Nino: Then, let's hear your final answer.
- Nino: Who am I, Nino?
- Nino: ...You're a memory.
- Nino: One that I should just disregard.
- Nino: Because I don't have to stay the same way my whole life.
- Nino: ...Huh? And here I had my hopes up...
- Nino: But you dare to write me off as some irrelevant past!?
- Nino: Why not? I'm not incorrect here.
- Nino: ...You're missing my point.
- Nino: I have as much of a right to dictate what this body does as you do.
- Nino: ...No, you don't.
- Nino: Even if I admit that you're right about some things,
- Nino: I can also choose not to follow them anymore anyway.
- Nino: ...Psh, ridiculous!
- Nino: If what you're met with here is simply a memory of how you used to act,
- Nino: Then that means it can be safely disregarded.
- Nino: However, unlike the rest of your memories,
- Nino: Which were washed away when you forgot everything about yourself,
- Nino: Why do I persist?
- Nino: Uh...
- Nino: So, why? Hey, why is that? Come on, can you explain it?
- Nino: You'd only bring that up because you can, right?
- Nino: That's because... my amnesia is kind of selective, right?
- Nino: It's kinda like Kaji's, remember?
- Nino: Sometimes, there are things I don't forget, and this must be one of them!
- Nino: Oh... that is... a really disappointing answer.
- Nino: What a shame! Well, don't say I didn't warn you.
Nina: Approach.
You suddenly hear someone's voice from behind.
It sounds... not quite like your own.
It sounds... not quite like your own.
- Nina: Hey... is it okay if we keep going like this...?
And yet, you can instantly tell who the owner of this voice is before you even turn around to face her.
- Nina: Is this the right way home?
- Nino: Huh? Home...?
- Nino: Uh, considering I just crossed the barrier, I think...
- Nino: I'm not anywhere near that anymore, probably?
- Nina: ...
- Nino: Erm, are you alright?
- Nina: I see. Hehe.
- Nina: You don't need to be so worried!
- Nina: I know how to walk on my own, silly.
- Nino: Um...
- Nina: I also already know what you want to say when we're there, by the way.
- Nina: I'm just a genius like that, hehe! Get used to it!
- Nina: But I have something to say to you first, too.
- Nina: So you gotta wait your turn, okay?
- Nino: What are you talking about...?
- Nina: ...Auh. It's cold. Really, really cold.
- Nino: What? I don't feel cold at all.
- Nino: And anyway, you have a coat right there!
- Nino: What's your deal!?
- Nina: ...The coat?
- Nina: Yeah, it's warm... very warm.
- Nina: But maybe a little too warm for me.
- Nina: If I use this now, I would just feel guilty.
- Nino: What...? It's just a coat!
- Nina: Oh... so you won't let me do as I please?
- Nina: Heh heh, that's just like you!
- Nina: Fine then, I'll put it on. Happy now?
- Nino: ...
- Nina: Well, what I wanted to say is...
- Nina: That I'm very, very sorry.
- Nina: And that I wish you a good future.
- Nina: Don't worry.
Nina: Use crowbar.
- Nina: I don't expect to be forgiven at all.
- Nina: But this is for the best.
Painfully, it ruptures, splitting into a million pieces. Something deep inside is wailing. It didn't just begin to wail - it had already been doing so for a long, long time, but only now, yes, only now...
Nino: Fall. Do you hear that incessant cry.
And then, you crash into the ocean again.
It appears this answer was deemed an incomplete one, too.
And it seems that your words only served to turn everything here against you.
Had to cut this update a bit short, but we'll be concluding this sequence on Saturday's update page.
I'm not sure how late it is to do this, and it's been a while since I read so I am absolutely missing some additional context, but I think the Ninos should all try to compromise and stand on equal footing. No one likes to be antagonised, and antagonizing a part of *yourself* only hurts you more. Literally. Nino got hit with a crowbar. I think that the only way for things to go well is to have an honest-to-god discussion about this and like... Idk, show yourself some compassion. Love thyself, dare I say.
Wait shoot did he just die for reals
It sort of seems like Nina isn't actually talking to Nino here. It seems more like she may be reliving something. She's using a crowbar here instead of a sword, and it's already covered in blood. Nino's favorite weapon is a sword, (And Nina is Nino) so it doesn't make much sense for her to summon a crowbar instead of the sword if the point of this is just to silence him.
Her coat also seems to be Reed-colored, and she says wearing it feels guilty. The blood on the crowbar could be from Reed, with the coat being either given to or taken from him, and she feels guilty because she killed him. (In the first dream, Cape Nino implied Nino had met Reed before, saying "No wonder Reed gets so many opportunities to make fun of you now.")
How Nina's acting here also seems to imply she's going against her/Nino's nature, (She seems much more nervous and apologetic than would be expected from Nino) which supports the argument that Cape Nino's mantra isn't actually as intrinsic as he claims it is. It seems likely, however, that he managed to convince these other Ninos as well.
(Also Nina's color here seems to be the same as Eidolon and Zach's according to the page source. [#5c4a46] The Prince-looking Nino has the same color as Ruit, which just seems to be regular blue. [#0000ff])
This is beginning to feel like the part of Homestuck where there's like nineteen Dirks per page
My head is spinning a bit
it reminds me of the "past and future karkat" thing
Very fun and i think we got closer than before...
It is a little like that bit too
It's also kind of like the "I'm the real Spider Man" thing
First thing I thought was ultra kill parry
NINO YOU FUCKING IDIOT
Nino: Inspect source of crying.
Nino: Don't be Nino
Aria: Be really nice to Nino when you see him again, hug him without the hitting. After all, he could have gone through a lot, especially after his noble sacrifice, and especially in the circumstances of these spirits, you might confuse him! Explain the circumstances you are in relating to the spirits as well, to keep him up to date. (You don’t have to be too forward about what you may feel with him however, considering current conditions.)
Maybe all of these slaves to the wicked demon aren’t to be completely trusted.
I once listened to a explanation of how the human mind works, which supposedly is as a amalgamation of different sub-personalities, each vying for dominance, contained within a subconscious that is topped off by a comparatively miniscule conscious ego. According to this, the secret to mental healthiness is having all of those sub-personalities living in harmony, while mental unhealthiness is the result of them warring against each other or one of them being tyrannical to the rest. It’s pleasant to see a pretty literal artistic representation of this getting played out.