"...fine just shut up."

Is there something troubling about what I just said?

"Pete, stop bullying your sister. Felicia, stop bullying your brother."

She looks over at the notebook's latest entry and, leaning over, writes in an unreasonably neat approximation of her earlier font Sorry, he started freaking out slightly and we're making fun of him for it.

"...what did she say? Also did you introduce yourself again, she freaks out if she gets confused about who's whom."

"I chose a really distinctive font for a reason but fine -" Sorry, this is Vivian.

Oh, okay. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help! (With Peter feeling better. Not with making fun of him.)

Roger wilco.

"The notebook is your only true friend in this pit of vipers," Vivian reports.

"She's trying to tempt me by being so nice I can't find it in my heart to really believe she, or maybe the Spirit, might be Satan."

"You know, it's kind of freaky to see this side of you," says Marcus, offering Peter the notebook back. "You're usually so composed."

He accepts it. "Then I guess you should all feel very privileged, huh?"

"This is actually really encouraging," Vivian notes. "I mean, the thing about the Spirit of Femininity being a huge nerd with the same kinks as you. I think it being an entity with preferences not just on the level of utility function yum give me paperclips but oh man it gives me pants feelings when you can make somebody into a better person with the magic of dick is really promising as far as values alignment goes."

"...okay I have to give it to you that was a very impressive set of sentences right there."

"It's the magic of love! Not dick!!"

"You're usually better at masking, you know."

"Bullied, beleaguered, besieged."

"Right, but my contract forbids me saying the power of love unironically on penalty of union fines, so I make do. I'm already gonna get hell from my agent for the power of friendship back there."

"Oh, so you're saying things for the sake of the audience too, now, I see. Hi again, audience, I hope you're enjoying this as much as I'm hating it."

"I've been playing up my usual lol, quirky side character bit for over an hour at this point as a coping mechanism, it's not my fault you're unobservant when your entire worldview is being shredded."

"Well anyway I uh." He doesn't know what he uh. He just kind of uh.

"Want to finish your conversation with the notebook about your desires to fix the world with the power of love?" Felicia suggests, gently.

"...I guess."

sorry about that, I

how does he even explain the freakout he just had

finding out that the Spirit's favorite power is the one that tempts me the most while making me the most conflicted was a bit emotionally impactful

That makes sense! Are you all right? How can I help?

You don't need to take the power if you don't want to. It's up to you how you want to shape your story! If it's tempting and scary then maybe your best life involves not doing it and that's okay!

no that's not it

Vivian said something about how these powers seemed almost designed to tempt me specifically

not all of them but she said that about I Can Fix Them

and if i'm honest the thing i felt about it was that it was a terrible idea that i shouldn't do which would've made my own love life a lot easier and more successful, i am already the type of person who tries to "Fix Them" even without this power and so. yeah.

i really want to

Well, if you're already the sort of person who does that, taking the power will make it easier and safer. But if you don't want to be the sort of person who does that, taking the power definitely won't help you stop.

What if you thought about the ways that you like that sort of the thing and the ways that it's troubled you in the past, and asked for a version of the power designed to make sure you don't have the same kinds of problems again?

Though probably you should first think about whether or not you really want this kind of thing to be part of your life.

He stares at the notebook in distaste. "Et tu, Brute?"