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So several possibilities for why Taylor went to talk with Shadow Stalker. Does she just want to forgive her because she can't forgive Bonesaw? Or does it have something to do with whatever Defiant motioned to the Undersiders about at one point, regarding Saint's role in Dragon's death and how he had "other options", whatever they were? If it's the latter, either Shadow Stalker is going to be used to somehow steal a backup Saint has access to with her powers or something else. Or maybe I missed whatever it was that Defiant meant there. Hell, maybe he was threatening Saint with them.
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Aug 18, 2013 10:03
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thespaceinvader posted:I'm so glad there's somewhere goony to talk about web serials (well, Worm, anyway) now. I've been thinking about starting up a discussion of it, but never been sure whether any goons actually like it. The thing that really impresses me I have to say is the inventiveness. So many of the powers are so simple and straightforward-sounding, and yet they manage to become so much more with a little thought. Especially Golem. Love Golem. I honestly like Saint so I'm not dogging on him. And Golem is, indeed, awesome. Personally, I think Saint improved stuff either because he was right (Dragon was abusing her power, and in her position that's a significant thing) or because he now has access to whatever Amy was trying to say way back when but the Simurgh scrambled it and set it up so Dragon's programming wouldn't be able to do anything with it. Also, for all the hate Saint gets in some quarters, Taylor also killed a three year old on the off-chance that the kid would be part of the end of the world.
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Aug 18, 2013 10:44
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I can't entirely agree with that. Saint knew the world was going to end in some fashion, brought on by Jack Slash. He also knew that Dragon had been somehow changing her coding to break any built-in fail-safe in order to respond to the Jack Slash threat. Dragon was also in a position to be capable of ending the world; her power, combined with being an AI, made her a frighteningly powerful entity. Saint didn't know that it would be Scion ending the world. He acted on imperfect information and, perhaps, there was a selfish reason to do so as well but that wasn't the only reason. Saint had a long time to kill Dragon to secure his own safety, and he had long since gotten what he needed to properly profit off her work. Taylor, as I mentioned earlier, killed a three year old child due to the possibility of the kid ending the world. She also acted on imperfect information, she just didn't kill someone that could be an aid in fighting Scion. Also, keep in mind Dragon's code had been really hosed up due to Defiant modifying it at her request. It's entirely possible that she needed to be killed and a backup brought back online to obtain maximum efficiency from her in the time of crisis. That's another possibility for why killing her led to the worst scenario becoming less likely.
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Aug 18, 2013 12:10
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Cytokinesis posted:I have to strongly disagree on this point in particular. Taylor didn't shoot her just because of the apocalyptic possibility, but also because she was in the hands of the Slaughterhouse Nine. Taylor wasn't able to get her away from them, so she saved her the only way she knew. To Taylor's knowledge it was very likely that the girl would suffer a fate worse than death if she was left in their hands any longer, and considering Gray Boy's power, it's hard to argue against killing a person to prevent them from being put into an infinite loop of agony. It was implied in one of the previous chapters that Taylor encountered one of Gray Boy's victims in Killington and simply covered them with a tarp, because no one knew how to break the loops till Foil came in with her power. I guess you can consider killing Aster a mercy killing sure. Let's look at it like this though. Scion was the end of the world, Saint didn't know that. Saint thought it might be Dragon and so killed her. You're saying that makes Saint terrible and his actions were wrong, despite him applying the information he had to the situation and arriving at a fairly logical conclusion. Particularly considering Dragon was pursuing a personal vendetta with authority given to her to deal with an S-class threat. Hell, Dragon probably didn't even realize she was doing it which perhaps makes it worse. But let's reverse that. You're basically saying that Saint's motives, selfish or not, don't really matter because he let millions die. Even if he was doing it for noble reasons, or told himself so, Scion being the cause made everything Saint did fall apart. However, it was the right call if Dinah's predictions are anything to go by. Whatever his reasons, the outcome was that the worst-case scenario became less likely. And significantly less likely considering how the numbers weren't really fluctuating until that point. Was Dragon going to go rogue AI like Saint thought? Most certainly not. But it still provided something key, which I think is the more interesting conversation than how Saint is a total rear end in a top hat or not. Why did Dragon dying help things? I see a few reasons. 1. Rogue AI (not likely) 2. The information the Simurgh hid from her (very likely) 3. They need to reboot Dragon because Defiant hosed up her coding. I like this one the most in all honesty. It'd make all the problems we see Dragon experiencing since Defiant started modifying her into something significant. It's probably less likely than number 2 though. Either way, she really does need to be brought back online at some point.
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Aug 19, 2013 01:43
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berenzen posted:To try and get away from making the entire page a CIA document, I'll say that one of the big tics in Wildbow's writing that bugs me a bit is that he seems to love the word copacetic. It's not terrible, but it started to bug me as it got to the later chapters and I began to think 'Someone might want to show him a thesaurus.' I actually really loved copacetic when it seemed to just be Tattletale using it. It just seemed in character for her, but then other characters started doing it too and, well, it lost its luster.
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Aug 20, 2013 03:24
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sirtommygunn posted:Except Taylor's powers are literally a mind control broadcast. Also, Scion could hear Jack because he's Scion, none of the other capes could hear what Jack was saying, except for Tecton who was in melee range at the time. I just checked and Scion considers Jack's and Taylor's shards to be different. He also recognizes them both as ones he sent out, Taylor's the last sent out and Jack's as one of the last. He calls Jack's the broadcast shard and just uses the word "Queen" to refer to Taylor's. I personally think Jack's shard was used to communicate with his partner and other entities, whereas Taylor's' was used to coordinate all of the other shards. Or maybe that's what Glaistig Uaine's shard is? eta: Basically, I think Taylor's shard is about controlling other things in general, and coordinating them. Particularly people with other powers, at least on the coordinating them part; this helps explain her tactical ability against S-class threats like Echidna or Behemoth. Jack's thinker power was about communicating with them in a persuasive manner. I think both should possibly have a significantly higher Thinker rating, perhaps even a Trump one, if they're really able to manipulate or use parahumans in this fashion. SerSpook fucked around with this message at 22:48 on Aug 22, 2013 |
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Aug 22, 2013 22:45
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Grundulum posted:We could probably use a new thread just for Worm that laid some ground rules for spoilers in the OP. As long as new readers might be showing up, I prefer to err on the side of caution. I tend to agree with this. I don't mind the spoilers so much, but others do, and Worm is something that it's really easy to be at a different point in from everyone else. A thread just for itself with its own spoiler policy would be great. SerSpook fucked around with this message at 22:57 on Aug 23, 2013 |
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Aug 23, 2013 22:45
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Grundulum posted:When I revived the thread, it had been dropping down the list -- may even have been on the second page. I think a new thread for "Worm (and other web serials)" is warranted, as opposed to the "Web serials (including Worm)" that we have right now. Or we can be lazy and use this link: http://parahumans.wordpress.com/gallery/ Also, I don't necessarily think we need a new thread so much as an agreed upon spoiler policy, OP update with it, and a title change (last not that necessary I guess).
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Aug 24, 2013 00:42
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Maybe I'm just an optimist, but I consider this to be the best result that could have reasonably been expected based on what we know of Scion. They identified a potential weakness in his seeming need to respond to illusions and decoys, powers akin to Clockblockers and Gray Boy's seem to make him react at least. Clockblocker's seemed a bit more effective, in fact. They learned an attack combo that did something at least too, and can strategize around stuff like this in the future. Also, Scion left and I consider that a good thing. Yeah, he wasn't seriously hurt, but he had a reason for going, whatever that may be. Maybe he wanted to continue on his schedule, but he diverted from that when hit with the G-driver. He thought it interesting enough to come check this poo poo out, then the combination attack that replicated it drove him off for whatever reason. Basically, learning something here and the heaviest hitters surviving was best case scenario, and injuries can be healed.
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Aug 24, 2013 05:45
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veekie posted:I'm thinking the second trigger is never going to happen. It's up to Bonesaw and Panacea now. I have a suspicion that Taylor already had her second trigger event right after the first. Earlier I know one character speculated that secondary trigger events occur in a decent number of capes during the first one, but it goes unnoticed due to the timing. Also, Bonesaw and Panacea working together will at least somewhat repair Taylor's shard I bet. They're both there, Bonesaw has researched passengers, Panacea can effect things on a level Bonesaw never could.
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Aug 24, 2013 06:20
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A Glaistig Uaine or Eidolon interlude could be pretty good. Maybe another Panacea one too.
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Aug 26, 2013 19:39
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Worm: I was going to be a superhero or Worm: I can take her
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Aug 27, 2013 04:32
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Well holy poo poo. That was a hell of an interlude.
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Aug 27, 2013 05:41
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Algid posted:Countessa didn't get her shard from Scion or his partner. Yup. It's one of those things that makes you really wonder what the gently caress is going on, more so than everything else at least. Still. Eidolon is pretty badass and I have to wonder if he could kill an Endbringer now. They seem to be able to turn powers off, but Scion is also supposed to be completely immune to powers. Shame he's probably dead.
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Aug 27, 2013 20:19
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why oh WHY posted:The fact that I had something to read all of the time when I first started was pretty much the best thing ever and even now WildBow releases new chapters with such frequency that I'm never really jonesing for more for too long. WildBow is like the best drug dealer ever. Yeah. I combine this with Gunnerkrigg Court and, with the frequency of donation chapters, I find myself having something new to read pretty much daily. Only Sunday lacks something. It's pretty awesome.
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Aug 28, 2013 23:44
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Faldoncow posted:During Scion's interlude chapter, he recognizes each shard that people have, both those from him and his partner. When Contessa and the Number Man show up, he notes that he doesn't recognize either of the shards they have. Was it Number Man too? Because I thought it was just Contessa.
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Aug 30, 2013 08:02
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Zasze posted:I honestly really liked worm but ever since the whole [late spoilers] CLONING SLAUGHTER HOUSE 9, ~9 SIBERIANS~ and now they are all like mind controlled slaves of jack. It just seems like a plot arc that was done way better with Enchidna/Noelle. I just cant seem to get back into it since that happened. If you're still not done, just keep reading through it. It doesn't go on all that long really.
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Sep 1, 2013 23:52
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Well that was a chapter. The Endbringers are freaking the gently caress out it looks like. The question is whether the theories on Eidolon creating them are right and no one control's them now, or if it's a signal from the group that controls them. I think the latter, and I think they're going to be used against Scion. Also, 5 Endbringers and 5 groups mentioned by Dinah?
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Sep 3, 2013 09:08
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thespaceinvader posted:5 endbringers is obvious. 5 groups, I don't think we actually know yet, but... Undersiders, PRT/Protectorate/Wards, Cauldron, Thanda, Yangban? I was thinking more each group using an Endbringer as the gathering point/core.
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Sep 3, 2013 23:40
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builds character posted:Can someone explain why folks think there's a connection between eidolon and the endbringers? I don't get it. I don't think anyone on SA does, but the idea is that Eidolon's power, up until very recently, is one of those ones that is kind of difficult to control. In terms of power it's on par with Scion and greater than the Endbringers when it isn't shackled by his own blindness, if how far he pushed Scion is any indication. So he needed powerful opponents to test himself. See all the stuff he said to, say, Jessica Yamada prior to the Echidna incident for what I mean there. He subconsciously created them with his power because he didn't understand how to really use it. This ties in which Scion's statement that Eidolon needed worthy opponents. He needed them, so he created the Endbringers. The Endbringers pushed him in a way no one other than Scion would, and they allowed him to play the role of the hero in a way nothing else would. He desperately wanted to be a hero as seen in his interlude chapter. This theory makes even more sense when you consider that Scion, according to both Taylor and Eidolon, directed a sense of revulsion towards Eidolon. This is actually a kind of significant thing since Scion, in general, only felt sadness. But this changed towards Eidolon for whatever reason. Do I believe it? No, not really, but I half-convinced myself as I wrote all of this out. I'd never really given it much thought before, but it makes a twisted kind of sense.
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Sep 4, 2013 01:14
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Fellwenner posted:That arc really only needed 3 or 4 extra chapters to work better. Yup. Timeskip in the middle of an Endbringer fight was a really, really weird decision. On one level, I can understand it, but I think several smaller timeskips, each hitting on the more pertinent stuff that happens, would have been better.
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Sep 4, 2013 14:32
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I wonder what Skitter's threat classification was, at it's peak. An A-class maybe? I mean Alexandria and Dragon both came to deal with her, though Dragon was more a secondary thing.
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Sep 4, 2013 15:04
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So if Glaistig Uaine got Eidolon's camera, did she manage to snag his power too? Also, relay bugs part 2. Awesome.
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Sep 5, 2013 06:38
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Lprsti99 posted:I don't know about any of that, I just finished the first fight against Leviathan. Am I the only one who thought that due to Tattletale's description of it as a creature with a simple biology, basically sounding like an oversized crab, Taylor's powers were going to have some interaction with it? I thought this too, but it's one of those things that just wouldn't fit Worm. Taylor doesn't really get powerups in that fashion, or on that scale. Typically they're more subtle and honestly more impactful. I mean, an Endbringer under her control would be significant, sure, but her greatest weapon has always been how she organizes and deploys what she has available, as seen in her confrontations with Lung.
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Sep 5, 2013 15:07
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Lyon posted:Except that the Simurgh blocked Panacea's communication to Dragon about the shards/passengers in what appeared to be a very intelligent and knowing way. Simurgh is an interesting case. Pretty much a perfect, or near-perfect, precog. How much of what it does is intelligence, and how much is it just Contessa on steroids? Even that would require some intelligence, sure, but not necessarily that much. Just picking whatever future seems to have the best results based on whatever she's been programmed with or whatever.
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Sep 5, 2013 16:35
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So the Eidolon theories were right it seems. Man, this is going to be so awesome.
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Sep 7, 2013 15:45
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Taking what we know of Echidna, and what we just learned about what the Endbringers were, I think it's safe to say that she was becoming something like that. The Endbringers appear to be passengers interacting with the world, created/called by Eidolon (or Scion) and Noelle was losing control to her passenger, even as more and more of it entered the world. Not so hard to believe that she'd have become an Endbringer as she changed, with Tattletale theorizing that eventually she'd reach a critical mass and start growing denser instead of larger.
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Sep 8, 2013 08:32
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Does anyone have a theory on what the gently caress is up with Sleeper?
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Sep 10, 2013 09:11
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Lord_Pigeonbane posted:This could be crowdfunded. I'd Kickstart it. I've never donated to a kickstarter, but I would too. Kind of hoped we'd have an update today, but it seems not.
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Sep 12, 2013 17:08
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Lprsti99 posted:Oh god, Noelle So are you just starting that part, or just ending that part?
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Sep 16, 2013 23:22
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Lprsti99 posted:Just finished the Travelers' backstory. Oh man, you're easily into one of the best parts of the series now. Though I guess that's really the case from the incident with Coil you mention above, to a few arcs from where you are now. eta: Obligatory gently caress Trickster here.
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Sep 16, 2013 23:32
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I'm not buying that Contessa went down that easily. I have to wonder if she somehow deceived them or let herself be defeated as part of a larger plan. Somehow. Maybe I just didn't expect her to be taken out off-screen like that.
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Sep 17, 2013 06:43
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As far as solutions to Scion goes, let's not forget that there is still a third entity around somewhere, and Contessa had a shard from it. That's probably going to be a big part of that. Also, Scion going crazy isn't really worst case scenario, considering Scion was always going to destroy humanity when the time to collect the shards came. The counterpart dying causes this situation but, strangely, I'd argue there's more hope in this than there would have been in a successful cycle.
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Sep 17, 2013 21:41
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Lprsti99 posted:This has probably already been thoroughly discussed, but I enjoy hashing stuff out like this, so bear with me. Some of this gets addressed, but you ask some really good questions regarding someone that already had a power ingesting the potion. One of the things to keep in mind is that, for the most part, Cauldron runs lots of tests on those they plan on giving their potion to. Some of these tests may be to see if they, in fact, have latent powers of their own and then working to trigger these powers. Cauldron clearly knows more about powers than the other players in the series, so it'd not be unreasonable to think that they screen for this.
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Sep 18, 2013 01:22
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Roundboy posted:chiming in to say i read this straight through for the last week, and while parts were a little weak, its overall EXCELLENT. What was said to Eidolon is its own chapter immediately after his interlude. On Endbringers: I think the idea is that Eidolon needed true challengers so he could fulfill his inner need to be useful. He wasn't smart like Alexandria, and he wasn't a pretty face like Legend. He had stronger powers than either though, and by a fair margin, he just needed something he could truly fight. Somehow this either created or called the Endbringers; I think speculation is that they are, in fact, shards. Shards are the parts of Scion he basically cast off as he gave off powers. They are the passengers, though in most cases very crippled due to him limiting them so they cannot kill him. Eidolon was as strong as he was because Scion's partner entity died and likely never finished crippling the shards it had. I believe he has a shard that is similar to Glaistig Uaine's or, potentially, Taylor's.
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Sep 18, 2013 19:29
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Pretty sure that Foil can hurt Scion now. I had thought it before, since her power was the one the worms had used against each other in the past, and this chapter further suggests it. Rather than just tank her attack, he stopped it before i could hit and then made it a point to go for her. gently caress yeah to Parian though. Good save on her part, even if Foil may be seriously hurt after that throw. Maybe Legend or someone intercepted her? One can hope.
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Sep 19, 2013 06:34
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So I guess who the strongest cape is can't really be argued anymore. It's Glaistig Uaine by a mile. Not counting Scion of course. Possibly counting Endbringers.
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Sep 21, 2013 08:00
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thespaceinvader posted:Probably GU, yeah. I'd still probably have put her and Eidolon tied - they seem to have very, very similar powers, similar enough that I wonder whether they have the same shard from two different entities. Once GU figures out how to access shards from living capes... She literally harvested Eidolon. That was one of the ones she used against Scion.
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Sep 21, 2013 08:52
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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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veekie posted:Sudden realization. That's the usual dimensions of the peoplejars you see in various media isn't it? A glass tube which fits one person, capped with metal and usually filled with suspicious liquid. The Simurgh is either cloning Taylor because she's about ready to destroy herself, and she's used her power to also completely copy the personality, etc, so it'll be identical... or, the Simurgh is going to take her into space and away from all the poo poo up there so she can decompress once she has limitless person control power. Kind of like when she was hospitalized right after getting her powers because she couldn't think through them (this is also when she had her second trigger).
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Oct 8, 2013 23:38
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