LuminosityXVII: In which I stumble upon the reference I always wished but never dared hope I would find in the wild.

lllxBL4ZExlll: This is awesome

Skoon: I never could get into Homestuck. So if the reference is towards that, I am lost. :V

Actually, I am lost anyhow.

Kazerad: Oh shit, my power level might be showing.

CaptainLackwit: Okay I'm lost. Somebody explain.

Raydio: I am the very confused at the right now

LuminosityXVII: @Kazerad: In brightest day, in blackest night-- no reference shall escape my sight.

Except, you know, the ones for stuff I haven't seen. Yet.

@Skoon, @CaptainLackwit, @Raydio: The answer is hidden veeeerry carefully somewhere in the image, such that you'll probably never find it. I am a master at this sort of thing, after all. Cryptological prodigy, even.

LuminosityXVII: @lllxBL4ZExlll: :D

Rittilisers: Oh look! I'm in the picture!

Asperger_kitten_1337: on the "one week of literacy blitkrieg later", have i missed something?

Rick2tails: if DragonBallZ has taught me anything. "power levels are bullshit" (Vegeta in DBZ Abrdiged)

LuminosityXVII: @madmanransom: I'm tempted to point you toward the answer, but the red herring you've followed has led you down a hilarious path.

LuminosityXVII: @Asperger_kitten_1337: As far as clues? No, that line is pretty much worth its face value. It just means I spent an ungodly amount of time marathoning Prequel from beginning to end in essentially one go.

LuminosityXVII: Also as madmanransom has demonstrated, Austraeoh is a red herring.

LuminosityXVII: For the record, finding the actual weather vane reference itself within its source material would take aaaaaages of reading (or a considerable amount of Ctrl+Fing). But it'll be pretty clear when you've found the source material.

Kazerad: (Side note: Hey madman, try to post fewer pictures in the comments of images.)

LuminosityXVII: @Kazerad: Huh? Sorry, did I do that somewhere? I honestly don't recall posting any other pictures besides the apparent cryptographic masterpiece you see above.

Kazerad: @LuminosityXVII: whoops, I meant the guy literally named Madman, whose post I deleted. I didn’t even think about how that would sound if it were not taken as a proper noun.

madmanransom: @Kazerad: Gotcha.
Less pictures.

LuminosityXVII: @Kazerad: Oh! Gotcha.

(I must admit I'm going to miss that particular reply though)

Anyway, it's apt, given that I'm currently cackling like a madman. I did NOT think so many people were going to miss the link.

madmanransom: @LuminosityXVII: Your use of red herrings is insulting, to say the least.
But it's necessary to make something like this. I am incredibly fucking lost in this sea of mindgames you have created.
...
Also, to anyone interested, you'll find a link in the bottom right-ha-

Enheldor: Is it the link in the picture?

Now that I've finished the comments, yep, it is.

madmanransom: you know what's funny?
I'm mad right now.
>:[
The universe must not like me.
Because I pointed out the link before Lumin responded to Kaz.
I just posted the fucking comment right after he posted his.
I gave it away a split second too late.

LuminosityXVII: @madmanransom: :O

It's okay, I believe you!

My commendations. With your masterful sleuthing, you have today taken up a spot alongside myself in the ranks of the Clever Cryptologists.

You will receive as your reward 500 Lumibucks, deposited directly to your Lumilet*. Lumibucks can be exchanged for goods and services at your local Luminarket**. If you can find it.

*Short for "Lumi-Wallet", which in turn is probably short for an incredibly long and complicated series of nested acronyms.
**Rolls off the tongue smoother than "Lumarket".

madmanransom: @LuminosityXVII: |:[
Thanks, I'll buy a party hat.

Raydio: @LuminosityXVII: How many lumibucks can I get for 0.02$ USD?

LuminosityXVII: @Raydio: Enough to buy a retro encabulator for you AND a friend, available only at the Luminarket(tm).

LuminosityXVII: @madmanransom: Thank you for your purchase. May it serve you well in case of party emergency.

yugijak: Ok I have no idea what the references are. I'm probably an uncultured swine but could someone point me in the right direction?

At least where the aforementioned link is. I wasn't aware that the pineapple thing was going to be...but the weathervane thing? And maybe I should look up that webcomic Austraeoh

madmanransom: @yugijak: Bottom right hand corner, link to some pony fanfiction that people seem to like. (I ain't reading it.)

Kat: I read the story years ago, but I forgot the reference until you pointed it out. ^^

Kazerad: @yugijak: There's a joke about a weather vane in the fanart rules that is a subtle reference to a piece of fanfiction.

The pineapple/yoyo trick isn't a reference to that, though; it predates it by a year or two. Technically, there's a chance that the fanfiction's joke about the weather vane is a reference to the pineapple and yoyo trick, in which case we have created an incestuous reference loop.

CaptainLackwit: Dude is somebody deleting the answers to these questions because I am STILL completely clueless.

LuminosityXVII: @Kazerad: Oh cool! Shoulda checked the dates, my bad.

Those loops are always fun and not remotely weird to watch spiral forever into madness. Usually feedback loops end with something exploding or catching fire, though. I'll bring the popcorn.

@CaptainLackwit: Haha dude, the whole thing is mainly about my wondering if the weather vane reference was gonna show its face and then being a little excited when it did. Said weather vane reference comes from the story linked in the very bottom-right corner of the image--which by the way, @madmanransom, is the single most entertaining text-only adventure I have ever read, pony or no (though I haven't read Austaeoh yet, so there's that). It's essentially Groundhog Day, but with magic, snark, evil shapeshifting bugs, snark, the occasional chainsaw, extra snark with a hint of crazy, and a very loyal baseball bat. You should totally go watch the show up to S2E2 for context and then binge on this shit like there's no tomorrow.

Its two sequels are really good too, but they're heavier and deal more with mental trauma recovery, shipping, and then meta weirdness and the nature of the universe, so I'm not sure if they're everybody's slice of pie. More weather vane though, which is always a joy.

LuminosityXVII: Austraeoh* sorry.

Also, something something Lannister loop.

Raydio: I’m so lost right now

LuminosityXVII: @Raydio: hooooowwwwwwwwww

LuminosityXVII: @Raydio: Wait wait here, let's try this:

+ =

LuminosityXVII: https://i.imgur.com/UJUabiI.jpg

LuminosityXVII: (sorry, that was supposed to be on one line but I accidentally hit submit before I was done)

LuminosityXVII: ...

Come to think of it, I'm not sure I actually made it clear how the pineapple trick factored into all this until just now.

...Hehehe whoops.

I'll give you 300 Lumibucks to look the other way.

yugijak: Ah thank you. Wasn't sure on that so I figured it was some Homestuck reference.

Still kind of cool that happened.

Kazerad: God, I feel like the entire comment section of this image is a rough draft. What if we all agree on roles, I delete it all, then we act out a good comment section like

Actor 1: I do not get the image
Actor 2: it is highlighting a reference to a story
Actor 1: I appreciate your response

LuminosityXVII: @Kazerad: I dunno, it's kind of grown on me. Such a beautiful train wreck.

Of course, it's partly (okay, mostly) my fault, so I'm not sure how much say I deserve in the matter.

Enheldor: @Kazerad: As long as its known that madman got it first and that I got it after him but before reading the comments.

madmanransom: What the hell is going on?
You want to delete this... beautiful specimen of a clusterfuck?
It's too beautiful, please.
Let it stick, fam.

durandal: Hello I am the Austraeoh Fact Checker, ask me about Austraeoh

Raydio: Jesus Christ this comment section is more unorganized than my plot for Chironia

LuminosityXVII: @durandal: What is the daily recommended serving size of Austraeoh? Do I halve the serving size for children?

Does it go well with hollandaise sauce?

A_racist_slur_against_Khajits: Soooo... where does the pineapple and yoyo trick come from?

LuminosityXVII: @A_racist_slur_against_Khajits: Hammerfell.

durandal: @LuminosityXVII The general recommended dose of Austraeoh is one chapter per day, as needed. To avoid a dangerous overdose, do not read Austraeoh in one sitting. Austraeoh is not for intravenous use. Ask your doctor if you have a heart condition prior to reading, as it may lead to unsafe levels of feeling

LuminosityXVII: @durandal: I ingested 30 chapters before I saw the label. I am experiencing a childlike sense of wonder, an inability to focus on anything productive, and I think I can smell colors again. Also I can't feel my legs. Help?

CandyDragon: Can confirm, this comment section is a trainwreck. A very interesting wreck though.

LuminosityXVII: @CandyDragon: I apologize for my part in it, yet I feel no regret.

In other news, I would like to note that I have, to date, read the first three volumes of the Austraeoh series. If we use War and Peace (587,287 words) as a unit of measure, I am currently sitting at 1.28 WaP.

I credit Kaz as my inspiration.

LuminosityXVII: Also @durandal, who failed to warn me that it is a more addictive drug than meth and attempting to stop is like trying to climb out of an above-land Mariana Trench while naked and covered in baby oil.

Also, this video, which will probably look silly to a lot of you but is actually amazing so shut up.