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I really, really hope this turns out to be an episodic series rather than a single-hit story. I'd love to see Wildbow write 'the Adventures of the Lambsbridge Gang' or whatever. And the web serial environment really lends itself to that better than it does to 2 megaword epics.
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# ? Mar 20, 2015 20:00 |
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# ? May 13, 2024 09:06 |
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That does sound really good. I'd hope that wildbow is thinking more about possibly publishing eventually. A bunch of discrete cases would set up better for that. I stopped reading pact about 3/4 of the way through because I just wasn't interested anymore. I've really loved 1.1-1.3 of twig so far though. It's fun to be excited for the next update again.
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# ? Mar 21, 2015 01:10 |
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Okay, Twig has me hooked in a manner that Pact never did. Strange bio-punk mysteries, as solved by a bunch of engineered (and maybe slightly insane) super-children? Sign me the gently caress up.
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# ? Mar 21, 2015 07:03 |
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Yeah, I'm really enjoying it so far. There's a lot to find out about the world, and a lot to find out about the characters, they're in peril and in difficulty, but it's reasonably clear what's happening to them and (as much as possible at this stage of a mystery) why, and they haven't been randomly fighting all the things yet. Good shout so far.
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# ? Mar 21, 2015 12:06 |
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Twig is really good so far. I'm liking it a lot more than Pact. Pact's metaphysics making every conversation an exercise in finding misdirection and lies by omission was infuriating. This low power superhero team solving mad scientist mysteries thing is much more engaging. The protagonist seems as goal oriented and creative as Taylor, but far more amoral and far more of a victim. I kind of dread finding out exactly what happens during these kid's appointments. I bet it's awful.
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# ? Mar 22, 2015 16:16 |
On that note, Twig 1.5
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# ? Mar 22, 2015 16:35 |
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Yeah, I'm definitely more engaged in Twig than I was in Pact.
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# ? Mar 23, 2015 18:39 |
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Neurosis posted:I get disliking the ability, because it felt like the inferences she drew weren't from observation but plucked from thin air. I thought people were referring to the character herself. They were plucked from thin air, in the sense that her power was pretty much interdimensional Google. Then again, it's not something terribly overpowered compared to other Thinkers, even when not counting Contessa and Number Man. Teacher could mass-produce weak Tattletales who would be completely loyal to him, Accord solved the problem of world hunger in the span of several hours, Dinah Alcott could predict future. Yes, her power was potentially plot-breaking and frequently served as a method to provide exposition to the readers, but given that a lot of enemies of the Undersiders also cheated, it didn't really seem really grating or unfair. Wittgen posted:Twig is really good so far. I'm liking it a lot more than Pact. Pact's metaphysics making every conversation an exercise in finding misdirection and lies by omission was infuriating. This low power superhero team solving mad scientist mysteries thing is much more engaging. The protagonist seems as goal oriented and creative as Taylor, but far more amoral and far more of a victim. It's not that Blake wasn't creative, it's just that his only goal was to be left alone, so the author had to drop a pile of crises on him to force him to actually do something.
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# ? Mar 23, 2015 19:39 |
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Tattletale was basically Sherlock Holmes. Her powers never really bugged me in the least.
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# ? Mar 24, 2015 07:21 |
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this case is moving swiftly
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# ? Mar 24, 2015 09:33 |
1.6 I wonder how this is going to play out. Also I found the bit with the board in the middle slightly confusing...
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# ? Mar 24, 2015 14:53 |
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I did too, but it looks like a deadlier version of the bucket of water on top of a door prank.
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# ? Mar 24, 2015 15:59 |
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Caterpillar is a book worm.
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# ? Mar 26, 2015 07:24 |
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I'm really, really liking Twig. Maybe even more than I liked Worm, and Worm was amazing - come for the why-kids-join-gangs allegory, stay for the escalation, horror, and character growth / downward spiral.
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# ? Apr 4, 2015 05:56 |
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wow, latest update was loving great. i guess helen isn't even loving human?
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# ? Apr 9, 2015 21:41 |
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Tollymain posted:wow, latest update was loving great. i guess helen isn't even loving human? No, apparently she's a terrifying assassin-beast inside a human-looking skin.
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# ? Apr 9, 2015 21:48 |
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well, at least she has a sense of humor
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# ? Apr 9, 2015 21:55 |
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I'm liking Twig a lot, but hopefully there's a little bit of downtime after this. It would be nice to see some of the group just interacting and adjusting to Mary, rather than having it be like Pact where they're constantly shifting from one crisis to another.
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# ? Apr 11, 2015 20:27 |
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Yeah; I'm desperately hoping Twig will be in an episodic format alternating between cases and downtime/school time/whatever is not just fighting all the time. Pact got really tiring on that score; Wildbow really needs to trust that his writing is interesting enough when the action isn't happening as heavily.
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# ? Apr 11, 2015 23:46 |
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Part of the problem is that text is not the best media for fight scenes. Visual media do it much more concisely and understandably, and that fact spoils us on textual fight scenes. Short action scenes are fine, and are good for tension, but the chapter-spanning fight scenes in Pact and Worm are just fighting against the medium. Twig is still young, but it looks like Wildbow might be starting to understand that.
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# ? Apr 12, 2015 01:36 |
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Anybody else still keeping up with this? I'm enjoying it a lot so far; we still haven't gotten the downtime in the group that I'm hoping for, but so far this case has been a bit more low-key than the other two.
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# ? Apr 21, 2015 15:48 |
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I'm reading it. It's pretty good so far.
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# ? Apr 21, 2015 15:56 |
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Same. I liked Pact, but this has just been all-around more enjoyable so far. I think part of that is that even if we haven't gotten much 'proper' downtime, the uptime we have gotten is a lot less hectic than the-endless-crusade-of-Blake. I think the choice of main character was a good one. Sy's lack of combat skills and knack on manipulation forces the story to focus more on the interpersonal.
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# ? Apr 21, 2015 16:06 |
Pavlov posted:Same. I liked Pact, but this has just been all-around more enjoyable so far. I think part of that is that even if we haven't gotten much 'proper' downtime, the uptime we have gotten is a lot less hectic than the-endless-crusade-of-Blake. I think the choice of main character was a good one. Sy's lack of combat skills and knack on manipulation forces the story to focus more on the interpersonal. Pretty much this. It feels like he's finally writing to his strengths, and occasionally stretching himself, rather than stretching himself with small breaks for what he's good at.
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# ? Apr 21, 2015 18:27 |
Sy is basically a tiny Jack Slash.
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# ? Apr 26, 2015 17:27 |
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Is now a good time to jump on with Twig or does it still need a bit more time to get going? Not been a whole lot of talk over it like Pact and it's a little worrying.
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# ? May 20, 2015 12:48 |
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Fans posted:Is now a good time to jump on with Twig or does it still need a bit more time to get going? Not been a whole lot of talk over it like Pact and it's a little worrying. I think Twig started out strong and has been consistently good. It's Worm quality at least. It just started the third arc, so there is a decent chunk out already. If you binge read this like I read Worm though, you will run out fast.
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# ? May 20, 2015 12:52 |
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Fans posted:Is now a good time to jump on with Twig or does it still need a bit more time to get going? Not been a whole lot of talk over it like Pact and it's a little worrying. I liked pact a lot more when I read huge chunks of it. I even thought the last third was OK because I read it all at once. So I'm waiting to read twig until there's at least another month.
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# ? May 20, 2015 12:58 |
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I have been reading Twig update to update. This is the first Wildbow story I've read this way. I was too late to the Worm party and I couldn't stand reading Pact that way. But Twig is great. The arcs are more episodic and focused feeling. The characters' powers are almost 100% being perceptive and clever, and it's a lot of fun to read.
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# ? May 20, 2015 13:45 |
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Fans posted:Is now a good time to jump on with Twig or does it still need a bit more time to get going? Not been a whole lot of talk over it like Pact and it's a little worrying. It's been going pretty consistently from the get go; I haven't been posting about it that much because I don't want to be constantly double or triple posting if nobody else says anything, but I'm really enjoying Twig a lot. You can at least read through the first two arcs and get a sense of wether or not you think it's hit its stride yet.
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# ? May 20, 2015 15:35 |
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Wittgen posted:I have been reading Twig update to update. This is the first Wildbow story I've read this way. I was too late to the Worm party and I couldn't stand reading Pact that way. But Twig is great. The arcs are more episodic and focused feeling. The characters' powers are almost 100% being perceptive and clever, and it's a lot of fun to read. All of this is true, and on top of that, there are plenty of chapter that are more or less JUST character-building and world-building moments, as opposed to the %150 BALLS TO THE WALL ACTION of Pact (and later era Worm). Twig is pretty solid; I'm enjoying seeing how it develops.
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# ? May 20, 2015 16:29 |
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I think part of the reason people haven't been talking about it as much is that it mostly would have been a procession of: "I like this." "Yes, I agree. It is good." Also a lot of Pact talk was on speculation, and Twig seems to have a lot less to speculate on. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just that the scope is very focused on the there-and-then. There's much less of the, "How is Magic? Why does happen? What are me?" that Pact had.
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# ? May 20, 2015 17:32 |
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Pavlov posted:I think part of the reason people haven't been talking about it as much is that it mostly would have been a procession of: Yeah, I was pretty close to posting something in this vein last night after enjoying another chapter, but decided it wasn't worth the post. Twig has been pretty consistently great imo.
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# ? May 20, 2015 18:27 |
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Could someone put up a link to the Pact epilogue? I can't find it on the Pact website or Wildbow's blog.
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# ? May 22, 2015 18:09 |
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I think I'm the only person in the world who liked The Pact more than Worm. I couldn't make it through Worm. It made me feel claustrophobic. The complete lack of any real downtime, excessive fight scenes, and the way things kept getting worse and worse made me throw in the towel. I am fine with that in a shorter work. But in Worm it was just oppressive due to the length.
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# ? May 25, 2015 02:34 |
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I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, I also really enjoyed Pact. I just wonder did you miss the same general trend of panic spiral in Pact? I mean, Blake and Rose start running in the first arc and there isn't downtime again until the epilogue as I recall. I loved Worm for its setting, and Pact had hilarious dialogue (also less use of the word copacetic) and a manageable reading time, as you said. Twig so far though is a real gem, there's no character in the main cast that I'm not interested in learning about, especially Helen. Edit: Pact's epilogue, a bit delayed: https://pactwebserial.wordpress.com/2015/03/07/epilogue/
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# ? May 25, 2015 12:18 |
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Jade Mage posted:Twig so far though is a real gem, there's no character in the main cast that I'm not interested in learning about, especially Helen. Would the gods be so kind that we get a Helen perspective chapter. I need to know what the inside of her head is like.
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# ? May 25, 2015 17:59 |
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Jade Mage posted:I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, I also really enjoyed Pact. I just wonder did you miss the same general trend of panic spiral in Pact? No, no, there was definitely a similar panic spiral in Pact. It grated on me there too, but it wasn't as bad for some reason. I got about halfway through Worm, and couldn't shake the feeling of "This is going to end with something stupid, like Taylor losing her powers or her memory" so I quit. Twig is great so far though, yes.
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# ? May 26, 2015 04:15 |
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Worm was quite a bit longer than Pact, so it may just have been that it had more time to wear you out. It's definitely a story that could use a good editor. I will say though that if you managed to get most of the way through it, it's probably worth getting to the ending. The last chapter was probably my favorite (not the epilogue though).
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# ? May 26, 2015 04:30 |
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# ? May 13, 2024 09:06 |
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Best Worm line near the ending for maximum irony in the context; This was it. Finally, everyone was working together.
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# ? May 26, 2015 08:50 |