The "Why aren't you reading Worm yet?" Thread.

[Ahriman238]

Huh, called it. Interlude: Eidolon.

[Raw Shark]

Great interlude. I particularly like this exchange at the end:

“He experiments, he plays, but he doesn’t yet abandon hope. I don’t abandon hope. The cycle could yet complete, by luck alone. He needs to find his reflection in the mirror. He lost his, like Peter lost his shadow, but another could appear.”

“This doesn’t answer my question.”

“You are so blind, High Priest. Deaf. He will not let himself run out of time. If he runs out, then he will stop playing, stop experimenting, and simply wait, bide his time in the hopes that another will come to act as his reflection.”

“That’s your goal?”

“It is.”

I believe you.

The ambiguity in her reply, "It is," is great. Of course he believes her. She could've been truthfully answering either, "Running Scion out of time so he goes docile is my goal," or, "Coming along as the other who will act as his reflection is my goal," or both, without setting off any lie-detection powers, with the vagueness of the question and the way her previous sentence is worded.

[madd0ct0r]

and the second part of the interlude is up
Spoiler

huh.

Let's see. Scion 'fled' in the fight, but only to dimensions he knew Eidolon and Glastig could follow him to. Unless they both carry shards of the dead worm, and they're not limited the way Scion limited the shards he sent out.

Someone is dead, possibly eidolon, possibly the faerie queen.

Is Eidolon the endbringer maker? His passenger gives him the powers it thinks he needs, and he needed 'worthy opponents'.
Alternatively, if E is dead and Glastig scoops him up, won't that give her access to all shards? A partner worm in the making?

[LaCroix]

Spoiler

Seems like it - Now that Eidolon finally found the ability to scoop up living shards, the cycle is completed. But I believe Scion killed G.U. She only had the shards of people she killed, which means their shards weren't good enaough , anyway. Eidolon, on the other hand, can now take any shard he wants, which makes him the duplicate Scion was waiting for. He probably could take the ones from G.U, (we don't know, he only refrained because she didn't like that), but he definitely could take HER shard, which allows him to take over the shards of deceased, too. He definately could take Contessa's shard, too. And if he finds out where Cauldron hides the "dead" shards they use, he could scoop them all up.

Edit - GU shows that shards don't really die immidiately after the host dies - maybe Eidolon can scoop G.U.'s sortiment up before they spoil?

[LadyTevar]

Yes, that last bit is going to be fueling a lot of spectulation. At this point I have no clue what to think.

[Ahriman238]

Cockroaches 2 up.
Spoiler

Dragon Lives! Pity about the whole "kidnapped and probably reprogrammed by a lunatic" thing, but ultimately captivity is something they can fix, so is reprogramming. Also, Defiant against Black Dragon will be awesome.

It's not nearly as satisfying as I might of hoped, but if anyone ever earned a verbal dissection and deconstruction from Lisa, it's Saint. At least we understand the connection to Teacher now.

And the Endbringers are coming out. Lovely.

[LadyTevar]

Well well.... Lung back in Action. I can't wait to see Lung v Smiurgh

[LadyTevar]

Oh. That went in directions I'd not expected....

[White Haven]

I'd love a CUI-focused interlude at the moment, because their actions are...uh...I'm trying to find a way to treat them as rational actors rather than just fill-in villains, and it's not working. Either they're just being horridly written, or there's a major plotline that's just being wholly omitted.

1) Scion fucks everyone.
2) We kill random people in random parallel realities and garner the enmity of literally everyone who doesn't already want to kill us and isn't already Scion.
3) ???
4) ...Profit?

I get Teacher (Hide in some pocket somewhere and hope I get overlooked while I do my shit). Even if I didn't get Teacher, that would be fine, because he's one dude, so it's plausible that he's just fucking crazy. The CUI, however, is entire nation-state. I'd love to get either a look behind the curtain or some editing.

[phred]

I think the basic idea is to fuck everyone else up, and be the biggest dog left when the dust settles. Also, now they've really fucked the dog.

[Ahriman238]

Oh. That went in directions I'd not expected....

I was sort of expecting them to use the Endbringers to fight Scion, but figured they'd have to trick him into going after them.

I'd love a CUI-focused interlude at the moment, because their actions are...uh...I'm trying to find a way to treat them as rational actors rather than just fill-in villains, and it's not working. Either they're just being horridly written, or there's a major plotline that's just being wholly omitted.

1) Scion fucks everyone.
2) We kill random people in random parallel realities and garner the enmity of literally everyone who doesn't already want to kill us and isn't already Scion.
3) ???
4) ...Profit?

I get Teacher (Hide in some pocket somewhere and hope I get overlooked while I do my shit). Even if I didn't get Teacher, that would be fine, because he's one dude, so it's plausible that he's just fucking crazy. The CUI, however, is entire nation-state. I'd love to get either a look behind the curtain or some editing.

My understanding is that the CUI didn't trust (and/or wouldn't pay) Faultline and her crew to make evacuation portals. Now that the need for evacuation portals is obvious, they're left in the position of needing to acquire some in a hurry to move their people through, and steal as many supplies from other refugees as possible.

I'm more interested, I confess, in learning there are multiple teams of Yangban with different powers. How far can the powers be spread? Are some people part of multiple collectives? 'Cause the whole Yangban thing was, I thought, built around Two: the power amplifier who made it so as long as they stayed in a unit they each had 42 powers at a third the strength of the original instead of 42 powers at 1/42 strength. So there are apparently five teams. These new ones are stealthy types, the ones in Crushed were pretty flexible combat roles, what do you think the other 3 are?

[RazorSmile]

I'm more interested, I confess, in learning there are multiple teams of Yangban with different powers. How far can the powers be spread? Are some people part of multiple collectives? 'Cause the whole Yangban thing was, I thought, built around Two: the power amplifier who made it so as long as they stayed in a unit they each had 42 powers at a third the strength of the original instead of 42 powers at 1/42 strength. So there are apparently five teams. These new ones are stealthy types, the ones in Crushed were pretty flexible combat roles, what do you think the other 3 are?

My theory was combat engineers (structure-manipulators a la Tecton's team or Tōng Líng Tǎ, the manager of their prison), recon (Strangers and perceptual Thinkers) and investigators/secret police (Thinkers, trackers and people with torture/interrogation powers.)

[Ahriman238]

Cockroaches 5 up.
Spoiler

Mecha-Leviathan!

... and Black Dragon. Didn't take Teacher long to crack her, despite Saint's super lock-out.

Still, for a moment we had Doctor Mother stuttering in surprise, uncertainty, maybe a little fear. That's almost more priceless than imagining the look on the Yangban's faces when they brought the Simurgh through the portal.

[LadyTevar]

Ahriman, I don't see where you get the Black Dragon out of that. They got Khonsu, not Dragon.

[Ahriman238]

“Four Endbringers, and then Dragon and Teacher to comprise the final group,” the Doctor said. “If Tohu arrives, she can reinforce the weakest group. Quite possibly Bohu.”

“Yes,” Defiant said. He was clutching his spear so tight I thought it would break.

Sounds like Teacher got to Dragon to me. Also that Doctor Mother considers Dragon to be on a level with the Endbringers in firepower, or the closest they're likely to come with the Triumvirate dead.

Also, Teacher seized control of Khonsu and then sold him to the highest bidder, Cauldron. Wondering what he got for them, riches, supplies or enough people to build a brainwashed nation. Still, I can't see him throwing away that particular ace without a fairly impressive card of his own.

[lance]

Sounds like Teacher got to Dragon to me. Also that Doctor Mother considers Dragon to be on a level with the Endbringers in firepower, or the closest they're likely to come with the Triumvirate dead.

I thought they only lost Eidolon, what happened to Legend?

[Ahriman238]

I thought Legend died in the oil rig fight. It wasn't mentioned though, so I suppose it's possible he was just disabled or fled.

Not a ton plotwise for today's update. Seems mostly like visiting people to say hi, say thanks and pointedly not say goodbye. But what there is...
Spoiler

The Simurgh speaks. To say "I'm Sorry" even. Now is that for singing to Lisa, her past deeds or what's about to go down?

I feel sorry for Uber.

[Ahriman238]

Interlude: Doctor Mother up.

[Atlan]

Interlude: Doctor Mother up.

And the Case 52's just showed off an ability which might be instrumental... If anyone can get them to actually stand and listen.

[Forgothrax]

You know, I'm of two minds about this. Yes, losing Cauldron and their support against Scion is bad, but I can't help but cheer the Case 53s on. I've hated Doctor Mother since her first appearance.

[Ahriman238]

Oh yeah, go team Irregular. Try not to kill her (and you leader) before getting your answers. Also, did you have to take down Doormaker? He's kind of important right now.

[Forgothrax]

I'm interested in how they beat Contessa. From the looks of things, Mantellum's power trumps Precogs and whatever Custodian can do, but it doesn't seem to act like a generalized power-neutralizer like Hatchet Face's (see the Irregulars and 265's powers working just fine within its area of effect).

[Alkaloid]

I'm interested in how they beat Contessa. From the looks of things, Mantellum's power trumps Precogs and whatever Custodian can do, but it doesn't seem to act like a generalized power-neutralizer like Hatchet Face's (see the Irregulars and 265's powers working just fine within its area of effect).

Spoiler

I doubt they did. I'm more inclined to think she threw the fight to force the confrontation with Doctor Mother because it's the best way to bring something vital about. If she always knows the course of action to take in order to win there's no reason except hubris for anyone to think Contessa has any loyalty to them for reasons other than sentiment, and Doctor Mothers shown a lot of hubris and Contessa not a great deal of sentiment to date.

Is anyone else a little surprised we haven't seen the remaining Travellers yet. I figured they'd show up once Scion started trashing other earths, and it's kind of made me miss the old Brockton Bay focussed story. I like the twists the plot has taken to date (the capes not realising that quite a number of them have powers that weren't neutered, plus whatever the fuck it was that gave Contessa hers presumably having done more than just that is inspired) but somehow I'm not finding the world literally ending as emotionally compelling as the first Leviathan fight or the Slaughterhouse Nines trip to Brockton Bay. I'm open to theories on where the endbringers are from now as well. If DM can trade them to people thet implies they haven't got much to do with Eidolon and are back to being another unknown player.

[Raw Shark]

I could get behind Alkaloid's theory with regard to Contessa, but really she's never been invulnerable... all it takes to defeat her without neutralizing her power is to put her in a position in which there is no path to victory, or in which following the path requires physical feats that she's incapable of.

[cadbrowser]

I totally didn't know the fine members of SD.net were this into the Worm universe. That is totally cool.

I tell ya, I have rabidly enjoyed Wildbow's creation. A masterful work of art in my opinion.

Venom 29.1 is up for any interrested.