Livereading Worm(Arc 3)
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So we get some slice of life before a bank robbery, but I'd like to start with:
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\-So yea, it's casual knowledge multiverse is real(is there a quantum immortality cult in universe already?), or atleast there's atleast ONE other universe so probably many others exist too. And the only thing practically exchanged is pieces of media(maybe capes and other illegal things within the criminal depths). And it was all thanks to a random Professor that was able to open multiverse portal. Okay?
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\-So... Am I stupid for thinking that Vista is more of a one trick pony than Clockblocker? Clockblocker does "one thing", sure, but the manton limits don't seem too bad. In fact he's arguably the deadliest, or atleast one of the deadlier team members, at least if given some deadly equipment... which he isn't as a Wards member. I still have questions about how his power interacts with stuff. Like(a bit graphic) can he freeze his own blood if it bled from his nose and got on his face? Would it be effective? If he gets a taser gun can he only freeze the gun or it's shot too? If it hits a cape(Alec for example), can he freeze the cape the shot and the gun as one "object"? I also have some... questions about the bank fight and his performance in it. Anyway, Vista's thing? Bending space weirdly to make it more confusing(steaight road into semicircl) and longer or shorther. That's pretty much it? Didn't see her making gravity locally stronger to pin everyone but brutes to the ground or make everyone floaty. Manton limit? Also Browbeat is OP brute wtf. He has strong biokinetic shit whatever it means(free healing and muslces? Full on self modification Mahito style? Or martial man but way way weaker style? Or plastic man style but probably also not? Holyy) AND a admittedly short(ONE inch, but imagine it as aura around his whole body and that one inch is on all directions of all body parts, still short but still impressive) but effective telekinesis range? And with all this... HE GETS FUCKING OFFSCREENED KEKEKWKWKKWKW
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\-Taylor, you sit on a throne of lies! Alec's deceptive scepter with a taser tip is useful? Unless it's a gun taser I don't think so. Atleast she doesn't really believe in cops and robbers, but being able to tell Miss Militia or Armsmaster or whoever private info about the Undersiders boss when you're already scared shitless of Lisa figuring out the leak when she doesn't even know their boss? It is kinda funny but mostly pretty sad and consistent with Taylor's need to rationalize things in a way that's opposite of rational. Vista's costume is deformed to make it look like she has a chest but i'd kick her ass easily and she's short she's totally flat or an older late bloomer... wait what? Is she coping with envying a CHILD? I just... have no words with Taylor. Well, besides one thing(note I never visited the subreddit): she'd get banned on the rational subreddit.
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\-So, the battle. It's fast paced and actionish enough but some things confuse me, like entirety of Taylor vs Clockblocker(in Aegis costume). He freezes bugs within fractions of second then she starts having them cover his full body(isn't this what she does anyway by default?) but he.. spins like a ballerine or something and freezes then with rotation "so that they were only affected ehen the part of his body they were on was facing away from the bank". What side does he freeze with, his side? Or back or front? What is even the point of doing it like this? If we asusme they actually cover his full body can't he just keep on freezing the ones behind him then quickly freeze in front, side jump then keep running? How does it help if he does it in circles if the bugs will fully cover him anyway and probably spin around him too? And then... he just fucking stops trying and just runs without using power letting bugs get in? Taylor says he just tried ignoring but I assume what is meant to be portrayed here is that he got tired pf freezing.... but then he tries very soon after anyway so... I still assume it's the case but imo it's not clear enough. And if it isn't that then I can hardly see it as anything but plot armor, which is a little disappointing to see so early. You could try to count in costume swap between Clock and Aegis as plot armor too, but it at least has actual in universe excuse of just being dumb teenage plan even if... it's extremely random and also bothersome because costumes just weren't made for each other and they're wards, even if they're teens they should hage minimal experience and foresight that it's just uncomfortable and dangerous since it's rule of thumb that villains naturally hold back less against brutes, like Lisa shooting gun at Glory Girl to take down her shield. But hey, atleast there are detailed descriptions of how painful and terrifying it is to get covered by bugs!
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\-on another note, is gallant even pretending to be tinker? considering how it's so far unlikely tinkers usually make emotion manipulatikn blast things(kid win is examplr of a tinker and he builds more typical stuff like normal laser guns), and how people have to cope with a emotion manipulator on wards team anyway, there's just no point in that... unless thats just madr up lie, but iirc its lisa who said it so what's the point? then again she warned about possibly more than the prime targets yet barely touched upon the rest of wards and didn't have team prepare for woest case scenario.
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\-i was completely wrong about alec's power, it's just striaght up body control. sure he "just" made kid win completely shift weight and cannon aim then made him let go and fall off his skateboard which is alot of movement even if it was driven by kid win's own confusion and loss of balance, but he's also lazy, so i assume he can fully control bodies.
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\-So, it's implied Taylor doesn't get death or damage feedback from her bugs which is how she didn't lose her mind while Lung burned through them or didn't feel weird during mass silk production, but it's also implied Amy did something to her bugs that made her brain almost crash. I guess she modified them into weird things that were still alive and the constant modification to get them off her completely messed with Taylor's perception of her bugs.
(Would protectorate lock her up if she wasn't part of/protected by New Wave or would it make her do "harmless" modifications to criminals all the time during fights? Or would she still be mainly used as healer?)
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\-"total accountability" glory girl says while constantly begging her sister not to snitch on her doing collateral damage so bad her sister has to heal the people she beats up all the time. How did Tattletale survive an angry Glory Girl shoving her into a wall by the mouth by the way? She might not be a bald E88 fucker that beat up a black girl, but she keeps on trying to get glory girl to be aggressive and tried to blackmail her sister. The guy got his ribs and stuff fucked up, so you'd think Tattletale would be out of commission. I might be understimating her self control by alot, but I'd expect her to keep beating in Ta Ta and Bug out of pure rage that made her aura turn Taylor's knees into jelly.
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so tldr undersiders win, good day, but i didn't quite like their first big team fight. still, i'd be lying if i said it was fun or engaging to read. and all the info tidbits we got about the world and character work is still pretty good, so overall i enjoyed this arc.
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As always, if there's I misinterpreted within the arcs I've read, feel free to tell me in the comments!