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29.3 was another exemplar of the "slow can be awesome" paradigm. I really enjoy the interactions between the characters in this series. Spoilers now: I kind of wish Shadow Stalker had used a knife for something nonlethal. Would have been a show of force while still holding true to the "You're still not going to use that knife" statement that Spur made. Would also have been completely in character for her to be pissed off at being played like that.
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Sep 24, 2013 05:50
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29.3 Grundulum, I wish taylor had just nicked him with the knife after he was unconscious. Or something to that effect.
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Sep 24, 2013 07:00
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^^ She's had a lot of practice, working with Masters, Strangers and Thinkers(which is kind of what the Undersiders are). The same kinds of logic applies, in a 'what would I do if I were in their shoes'. And the Administrator shard no doubt helped. Funny how Chevalier wound up with a black costume though.
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Sep 24, 2013 09:44
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hollylolly posted:I just read Ra and it's good...but confusing. Really confusing. I think I know what's going on, but I could be wrong. Is there an update schedule or is it just whenever? Ra has no update schedule.
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Sep 24, 2013 10:55
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Ok so Scion. What are the chances that, if they kill or cut him off from his main body, that he dies? Cause I'm thinking it wouldn't kill him, just leave him real human and real vulnerable.
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Sep 24, 2013 20:57
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Why are you treating the human form and the worm as separate entities? My (fake) money is on the human form being a Siberian-like projection.
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Sep 24, 2013 21:37
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Grundulum posted:Why are you treating the human form and the worm as separate entities? My (fake) money is on the human form being a Siberian-like projection. I'm not treating them as separate entities. It is actually a part of the whole, and it is actually biologically human. We know that it's a part of the whole because any damage done to it is filled in and repaired with the material that makes up the rest of it's body. We know that it's biologically human because well, it thought it was, and Tattletale thinks it is. It cannot be a projection like Siberian, because Siberian was just that, a projection, bearing no attachment to the creator aside from the mental one. My guess for why the human Scion body would remain separate hinges on two things. First; the Scion body only interacts with the rest of the whole one way, the body gives power and matter to the human body, but nothing that happens to the human form effects the remainder otherwise. Second; the entity has no control over it's powers (or shards) aside from what the human form provides, we know this is true because the last shard Scion gave up is the shard that would provide the entity with that control. NecroMonster fucked around with this message at 22:40 on Sep 24, 2013 |
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Sep 24, 2013 22:34
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So what you're saying is that I should go back and read the Scion interlude again to catch all these details I missed. I guess.
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Sep 24, 2013 22:52
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I've read it like four times. I'm on my first reread of the full story. I think there are probably clues and hints to the possible end of the serial hidden all throughout it but I know the Scion interlude and most of what follows is just loving dripping with clues. Try this one on for size. Leviathan's attack may have saved more people than it killed thanks to evacuations and the breaking of a LOT of the glass in town. With what we now know about the Endbringers, and specifically Simurgh "their" possible motivations have gotten really loving hard to pinpoint. NecroMonster fucked around with this message at 23:06 on Sep 24, 2013 |
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Sep 24, 2013 22:59
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NecroMonster posted:Try this one on for size. Leviathan's attack may have saved more people than it killed thanks to evacuations and the breaking of a LOT of the glass in town. With what we now know about the Endbringers, and specifically Simurgh "their" possible motivations have gotten really loving hard to pinpoint. Not really. S9 only targeted the city because they were reeling from Behemoth's attack.
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Sep 25, 2013 04:23
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Vateke posted:Not really. S9 only targeted the city because they were reeling from Behemoth's attack.
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Sep 25, 2013 04:36
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Algid posted:And this caused a chain of events that eventually lead Jack to Scion and had him start murdering everyone years ahead of schedule, which according to Cauldron is the best case scenario for actually winning. drat. I wonder if the Simurgh just does all the planning.
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Sep 25, 2013 04:43
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NecroMonster posted:Ok so Scion. What are the chances that, if they kill or cut him off from his main body, that he dies? Cause I'm thinking it wouldn't kill him, just leave him real human and real vulnerable. I'm kind of hoping there'll be some Scrub/Labyrinth/Foil combo that tears a Scion-shaped hole in every universe.
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Sep 25, 2013 05:17
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I'm really hoping that the ultimate solution to dealing with Scion is non-violent or at least the linchpin to defeating him revolves around doing something other than just throwing one crazy big punch. Worm's centeral theme is communication and how it's breakdown breeds conflict and disharmony. Scion and the space worms whole deal is that they lack any kind of empathy for the beings they manipulate. Taylor finding a way to bridge that gap and either talk Scion down or coordinate everyone else into some kind of common effort would feel a lot more fitting than someone just outright acing Golden Boy.
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Sep 25, 2013 09:48
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Vateke posted:drat. I wonder if the Simurgh just does all the planning. You want a nose bleed? Taylor's running into and mostly beating Lung started the whole series of events that left the city in a heightened state of conflict, and thus a good target for an Endbringer attack in the first place. Contessa running into Lung started the whole chain of events that led to Lung being in Brockton Bay in the first place. NecroMonster fucked around with this message at 09:54 on Sep 25, 2013 |
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Sep 25, 2013 09:52
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NecroMonster posted:You want a nose bleed? Taylor's running into and mostly beating Lung started the whole series of events that left the city in a heightened state of conflict, and thus a good target for an Endbringer attack in the first place. I like how the pre-destination /cognition stuff is handled is kinda in the background rather than beating the reader over the head with it.
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Sep 25, 2013 14:46
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Skippy McPants posted:Scion and the space worms whole deal is that they lack any kind of empathy for the beings they manipulate. You could draw an interesting parallel there to Taylor having a complete lack of empathy for the insects she manipulates.
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Sep 25, 2013 16:48
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Zasze posted:I like how the pre-destination /cognition stuff is handled is kinda in the background rather than beating the reader over the head with it. Same. Honestly it feels like it makes it work even better to me.
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Sep 25, 2013 19:15
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Regent noooooo 
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Sep 25, 2013 23:00
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There is worse to come.
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Sep 25, 2013 23:55
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thespaceinvader posted:There is worse to come. That might as well be the tagline for the entire serial.
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Sep 26, 2013 00:04
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thespaceinvader posted:There is worse to come. This describes this series so very perfectly.
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Sep 26, 2013 00:08
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Lprsti99 posted:Regent noooooo Just as the character was at his most entertaining too. I was starting to wonder if Imp was helping him out and maybe letting him lose a little of the sociopathic tendencies that he had. Turns out he did, but it cost him his life.
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Sep 26, 2013 00:16
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Worm made me mourn the death of a sociopathic rapist and glad when one of the world's greatest heroes died.
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Sep 26, 2013 02:50
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^ One of the many things I enjoy about this series. ^ 29.4: Well, I suppose at this point we know how this is going to go to 30 chapters. I was kind of worried for a bit that it would end at 29. Not that I expect it to happen, but Shadow Stalker had better not do the heroic sacrifice thing. I won't believe it for a second and it will really undermine Wildbow's credibility with these characters. As an addendum, seems rather definitively that Wildbow is male. Asks on the donations page that cheques (because he's Canadian, apparently!) be made out to "John".
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Sep 26, 2013 05:30
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Grundulum posted:^ One of the many things I enjoy about this series. ^ It makes sense for Lung to respect Taylor, and even be willing to go to extra trouble for her, based on what we know of his psychology, but Shadow Stalker? Nope, not gunna loving believe it. What Shadow Stalker said was probably an attempt to get the rest of the group to condone her running away without trying to stop her, or at least save face in the face of her cowardice. Oh yeah, what's the chances that Imp tries to kill Mantellum knowing that she'd be good as dead for doing it?
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Sep 26, 2013 06:13
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Okay, Worm, I get it, no one is ever allowed to be happy, holy poo poo. They kill Behemoth, things are looking up, and then Khonsu happens, and is the most terrifying motherfucker ever, with the possible exception of the Simurgh.
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Sep 26, 2013 18:13
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Lprsti99 posted:Okay, Worm, I get it, no one is ever allowed to be happy, holy poo poo. They kill Behemoth, things are looking up, and then Khonsu happens, and is the most terrifying motherfucker ever, with the possible exception of the Simurgh. Worm: It Gets Worse.
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Sep 26, 2013 18:23
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So, just what the everloving crap is up with Imp? Is she perma-regented? He never showed any implication that he could entirely leave his original body that I recall, but he always was pretty secretive about his powers. Or is she Pretendered? Or was it actually a dose of Teacher all along? It's presumably not Satyrical, given that she still seems to have use of her powers and I don't think Satyrical copies things. But she doesn't seem to be on the earbuds, which you would have expected her to be. Heck knows.
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Sep 26, 2013 21:24
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I'm not really seeing anything wrong with Imp. The way she's acting seems to simply be a combination of her particular coping mechanism, as well as increased confidence and maturity. Then again, maybe Grue is still hanging around, copying her power, and she's realized it and is trying to get him to drop the act? Nah I'm just being crazy here.
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Sep 26, 2013 21:48
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I dunno - enough has been made of it that I'm pretty sure it's more of a plot point than just character development, particularly in light of the ear buds...
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Sep 26, 2013 22:12
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thespaceinvader posted:So, just what the everloving crap is up with Imp? She has an ear bud, she was just telling Tattletale she'd like to hear the cliff notes on the Irregulars after Lung said he didn't want to be distracted. If that's the exchange that made you think she didn't.
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Sep 26, 2013 22:22
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hollylolly posted:She has an ear bud, she was just telling Tattletale she'd like to hear the cliff notes on the Irregulars after Lung said he didn't want to be distracted. If that's the exchange that made you think she didn't. Yeah, she just wasn't paying attention, because she's got a fairly severe case of ADHD.
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Sep 26, 2013 22:44
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Also a case of not really giving a poo poo most of the time.
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Sep 27, 2013 00:21
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So how are they going to get out of this situation? My money is on either Imp being able to kill Mantellon, the prisoners actually siding with them (not likely), or the Simurgh stopping by to pay a visit. I think the final one would be the most awesome. Alternatively, the Custodian shows them a secret passage of some kind to the forbidden Fifth Level and there is some kind of trump card there with Doctor Mother. This is the most likely thing, or something like this, but I'd really love to see the Simurgh just show up.
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Sep 27, 2013 00:39
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thespaceinvader posted:So, just what the everloving crap is up with Imp? Over the last half dozen chapters or so there have been a bunch of points made about her using much bigger vocabulary words and speaking more intelligently in general, making me think she was hit with a dose of Teacher's power. But in the last two it hasn't been made note of, so I don't know what to think.
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Sep 27, 2013 07:47
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Most likely this is just her coping mechanism. She's been picking up Regent's habits because she misses him. Imp isn't academically dumb so much as easily distracted.
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Sep 27, 2013 08:48
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I have to say that Imp's Heartbroken are amazingly named. Regent's dad is Heartbreaker - all of that (him moving in on Brockton Bay, her avenging Regent) was just barely touched on after the time skip but I love it. And the statue with all the wedding rings from the women Heartbreaker twisted. Chills. Wildbow has a way of artfully naming things.
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Sep 27, 2013 09:37
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Worm 29.5 welp, next chapter is going to be a loving nightmare. I don't know how to interpret this other than Scion is about to attack them. Maybe Satyrical is bluffing, but my gut tells me he's not and things are about to get really really loving bad.
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Sep 28, 2013 05:41
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NecroMonster posted:Worm 29.5 welp, next chapter is going to be a loving nightmare. I don't know how to interpret this other than Scion is about to attack them. Maybe Satyrical is bluffing, but my gut tells me he's not and things are about to get really really loving bad. I agree with you; I can't think of anyone else those few lines could be referring to. For added excitement, apparently we're getting an interlude this coming Tuesday instead of a Taylor-centric chapter. Hopefully it will involve Doctor Mother, the Custodian, or the Doormaker. The latter two might be difficult to write, but could be a ton of fun for us the readers.
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Sep 28, 2013 05:59
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