Where does the showthread_list template get its $links data from?

[minorgod]

I'm pulling out large handfuls of hair over this. In the template "showthread_list" under the "Show Thread Templates", I am desparately trying to figure out where the $links variable gets its data from and what hook I should use for my plugin to modify the usernames that show up there. I'm talking about the list of links that shows at the top of a post on the viewthread.php page. Large amounts of praise will be heaped upon the person who can answer this question.