azreactstowormtheserial

[azreactstowormtheserial]

9 Slaughters, 9 Houses, 9 Tier Lists [11.A-11.H]

Only 1 tier list, actually. Jack made a strong first impression. Let's see how everyone else does. Around the time of 11.D I realized these interludes were structured in a certain way: One of the 8 remaining S9 members recruiting their pick for who should be the 9th. And, if they get their way, 7/8 of these people will die. Each Interlude's them being recruited-- so in a way, this is just one, huge fuckoff interlude for The Slaughterhouse. Lets begin! A -- BITCH [X - SIBERIAN] Yeah, it didn't take long for the warm feeling in my heart on ending base-arc-11 to dissipate. I didn't really know what to make of 'Slaughterhouse 9 is looking for their next member'. I 'kinda thought it was just going to be another villain, not some fucked-up selection gameshow. Someone like Hookwolf. (Huh!) Or, maybe even a fucked-up hero, akin to Armsmaster. But, actually, it's Bitch. They're going after Bitch. Give her a break, Wildbow? Please? Jack made a strong first impression. Let's see how everyone else does. Around the time of 11.D I realized these interludes were structured in a certain way: One of the 8 remaining S9 members recruiting their pick for who should be the 9th. And, if they get their way, 7/8 of these people will die. Each Interlude's them being recruited-- so in a way, this is just one, huge fuckoff interlude for The Slaughterhouse. Lets begin! A -- BITCH [X - SIBERIAN] Yeah, it didn't take long for the warm feeling in my heart on ending base-arc-11 to dissipate. I didn't really know what to make of 'Slaughterhouse 9 is looking for their next member'. I 'kinda thought it was just going to be another villain, not some fucked-up selection gameshow. Someone like Hookwolf. (Huh!) Or, maybe even a fucked-up hero, akin to Armsmaster. But, actually, it's Bitch. They're going after Bitch. Give her a break, Wildbow? Please?

Seeing Bitch smile with her family was nice, though. Even if I think she's wrong, in that being alone from anyone else isn't what she needs. Finding out a little more about her than the snippets Lisa gave us, and her inner thoughts on Taylor, was nice too. And then things, inevitably. went to shit. Not Angelica's Injury or Glory Girl. Siberian.

Oh, no.

That she didn't call Coil, that (spoilers!) she didn't raise the issue in the coming weeks until it was revealed by other means, is telling that she's at a crossroads. B-But, c'mon. There's no way. She'll pick the right path, and use this as the start of a rekindling of her friendship with Taylor-- this being teaming up and beating the shit out of S9. I believe in her! B -- THEO/ONI-LEE [X - JACK SLASH]

Theo, on the other hand, I'm not so sure if I can believe in. Kaiser's Son. Presumably(?) Jack Slash's nominee-- it's left a little vague, given the whole two-years-thing. At least, I think this whole interlude was set in the present day, or at least post-Leviathan. Yep, just checked-- it definitely is. Oni-Lee was Jack's original target, but he wasn't interesting enough. Lucky for him, someone way more interesting was practically handed to him on a silver platter. Theo doesn't seem like a bad kid, especially given his circumstances, but I worry. Jack being a fucked up son of a bitch was fun to watch, though. C -- LABYRINTH [X - Burnscar] This one was my 2nd-favorite. I really like Labyrinth. I think I mentioned earlier that I was hoping to see some more of her? This was exactly what I wanted!

Well, Burnscar could've gone without the scorching of Faultline & Co. , but. I like these glimpses into characters that I just have, like, no idea how they think/operate. Now I have a little bit more of a picture. Labyrinth's one of my favorite side-(ish, now that she's in the spotlight?) characters

I don't even know what this is. Cauldron? Case 53? Faultline and her group of misfits seem intertwined with it all, all but confirmed in the tail-end of Arc 11. I hope Labyrinth is okay. D -- Armsmaster [X - Mannequin]

" I didn't really know what to make of 'Slaughterhouse 9 is looking for their next member' " This one I did see coming, actually. My first prediction! I should write these down so I can properly say 'called it'! What I didn't see coming was me actually giving a shit.

Oh, Colin. This really hurt to read. Why do you have to be a human being? As much as I hate the things you've done--

I don't know. I've left it a while, and I still think about this interlude. Armsmaster hasn't shown up yet at the point in the story I'm at while writing this (13.Something). I'll write about Armsmaster-- Colin, I should get in the habit of humanizing him, if that's what the story wants-- when he's back. E -- Hookwolf [X - Shatterbird]

I 'dunno, Shatterbird. He called you a slur internally a little earlier, and even self-monologued about 'The Aryan Dream', or whatever the hell he's smoking. This one's a lost cause.

While I don't have much to say about this chapter, other than the spectacular action and Shatterbird's cool power-- we'll get there!--- I really like this kind of manipulation S9 are using on their recruits. They aren't like them. But they could be. I'm really scared that one of them will be. It won't be Hookwolf, though. F -- Noelle [Dinah] [X - Crawler]

Hey, look at that! It's my favorite interlude to date! Yeah, even more than Alec's. This one was peak.

Dinah has my favorite power of any character in Worm. It's just so cool... Probability precognition isn't like, an original idea by any means-- but its just so... agh!! ================================= THE "HE KNOWS" BANNER Hello! Everything written after this point is Az knowing up to 19.3 in plot-knowledge. I'll try and leave things as a 'We'll get to that!', but keep in mind that 'he knows'. ================================== Dinah still has my favorite power of any character in Worm! But 11.f is no longer my favorite interlude... Crawler isn't even present in this chapter, but he's described almost like an endbringer. Near-invulnerable, on a mission to fight the strongest thing in the entire city, and willing to crush anyone that steps in his way.

Oh, Dinah...

... G -- Regent [Cherish] [X - Cherish] Regent's French Canadian? Biggest plot twist of worm so far.

Cherish is great. I love girlboss psychopaths, and she's 'kind of hit the nail on the coffin.

Nominating Alec for the nine out of spite is a take that I'm all here for, though. But what's this now-- Bitch and Alec? Have it their way, and one of them at the very least's dead.

H -- Amy [X - Bonesaw] Not to cut this short, because it's a great interlude and all, but I'll talk about Amy in my upcoming megapost on 12.1-19.3. A lot of ground to cover, I know. Bonesaw, too. Instead, here's my Tierlist of the 9, taking into account their actions throughout Arcs 12, 13 and 14: S [Slaughter Tier!] -- Jack Slash, Bonesaw, Mannequin A [Ahhhhhh Tier..] -- Siberian, Cherish, B [Didn't do that much Tier] -- Burnscar, Crawler, C [Regent-owned Tier] -- Shatterbird

The reason this all took so long is that Worm is really good, and I keep reading it instead of writing about reading about it. Sorry... See you next time for either 12.1-14.X or 12.1-19.3, depending on my attention span.

#worm web serial #worm liveblog #worm spoilers #wormblr #liveblogging #liveblog #az finally finished a wormblr post #we're still going strong baby #can taylor catch a break challenge

[azreactstowormtheserial]

Don't worry, I haven't stopped!

I'm on Arc 16. Once it's over, I'll concede and write.

[azreactstowormtheserial]

Overboard [8.1-11.8]

SORRY IN ADVANCE FOR THE SCROLL WHEN YOU HIT KEEP READING

--Yeah... Sorry for not keeping to that 'one arc at a time' promise. But whilst I'm in medical-recovery mode I have nothing better to do than Worm [The Serial] my afternoons away.

And look at that! I'm 1/3 through all of the main story. At least, by Arc-No. ? My friend said come the end of Arc 8, I'd graduated from 'Early Worm'. Should I be scared or happy to be gradually approaching 'Late Worm'?

Speaking of.

ARC 8 -- EXTERMINATION

Title Accurate.

ARC 9 -- SE

Okay, okay. I'll talk about Arc 8. It's a little weird to talk about as a whole. Way easier in the moment, reacting to things as they happen.

"1 in 4 of you (at least) will die."

Tattletale "down".

Aegis, Gallant, Iron Falcon, Mr. G,

Taylor -breaking her spine -- she could have died!

And I thought I couldn't handle the stress of the inter-group dynamic potentially crumbling at the end of Arc 7. Don't worry, we'll get to that.

The endbringers are a terrifying concept. Like, what do you do? Wear it down, hundreds dying to prevent hundreds of thousands from dying, only for it to recover for a few years, months, who knows-- before it attacks somewhere else, almost unprompted?

Almost. I have no idea what it was doing, edging slowly towards Coil's base like a fucking NGE Angel. That's almost as scary.

It just, picked people off. Indiscriminantly.

Kaiser. A powerful, influential-- horrible excuse for a human being, but still, a major player-- he's just dead! Just like that!

I'd started to like a few of The Wards towards the the end of Arc 6, I think. At first it was easy to group them into a 'haha these kids don't know any better, they're really snot-nosed about being heroes'-- which feels a lot nicer a label than what's actually happening.

They're just kids! 15, 16, Vista is 13. 13! Kids that've had a traumatic past, in one way or another. Up against, and dying to, an existential threat. Sentinel really helped put this into perspective.

I'd love to talk about individual moments that I thought were cool; Tattletale's analysis of Leviathan, The truce between heroes and villains, Clockblocker absolutely stepping the fuck up and pretty much clutching the entire fight. But I need to talk about Armsmaster.

(These few lines saved me.)

ARMSMASTER. You horrific excuse for a human being. Jeopardizing CHILDREN'S LIVES, YOUR COMRADES LIVES, PEOPLE'S LIVES-- AND FOR WHAT!?!?!?!?

WAIT NO STOP NO

I absolutely hate this fucking guy. How do you ruin everything in the middle of a natural(?) disaster killing thousands.

(Did I mention Shadow Stalker is Sophia. Huh. That's interesting! I'm sure it won't come up again.)

The arc ends really bittersweet.

I'm really sorry, Bitch. Showing up and saving Taylor was an amazing moment, but that's over half of your closest family, just gone.

But, I totally called it.

I know I wanted to take a break after all that, but I couldn't just leave it at "I told her my answer." -- I had to find out what it was!! So, after a few hours of psyching myself up, I got straight into the Interlude.

ARC 8 -- INTERLUDE [COIL]

How do you beat Coil? What -happened- to Coil to give him this power? Applied perfectly, his power makes him practically invulnerable. One of his only weak points being the immediacy after closing his second universe.

I still don't know how to feel about Coil. He's said in vague terms that his plan for Brockton Bay was to improve. Taylor, I think, took this to mean that people's livelihoods would be better. People would have food, shelter, water. But it's so difficult to tell, even with a direct view into his mind like this interlude gave. All I know is that this is a plan he's put a considerable amount of time and his life towards-- it has to mean a lot to him and he has to be strong in his ideals. I only hope that he isn't utterly insane.

Because if he is? If his motives are 'evil', unjust-- if you can even say they have the potential to be just, with how he operates-- I don't know if anyone can beat him.

...

Shit.

ARC 9 -- SENTINEL

This arc was nice. The breather I needed, and was worried I wouldn't get, after Arc 8's Interlude.

I mentioned that I'd started to like The Wards a little earlier in the story, so the emotional beats really worked here for me. And even if I didn't, this arc'd easily have been a turning point.

\=====

[Az.Interlude: Obligatory Wards (And Co.) Tier List]

Bold means #1 in each thing if there's more than 1.

S [Super :)] - Flechette, Glory Girl, ****Shadow Stalker****, Vista

A [A cool character] - *Clockblocker, Gallant, Kid Win, Panacea, ****Weld***

B [Baegis Tier] - Aegis

C [Cant Remember] - Browbeat

(Sorry Browbeat, who apparently died offscreen in Arc 8.)

\====

I say it's nice, but really we're just seeing a few kids grieve the deaths of their friends. Is that what 'nice' is, in Worm?

Sophia/Shadow Stalker is growing into a more and more interesting character. Though everyone got their fair share of attention, I found her scenes, like the one with Flechette in 9.2, quite interesting.

I* think something really awful happened to Shadow Stalker. *

A lot of my thoughts on Arc 9 I think are just snippets at characters I like. I really liked Weld, and felt 'kinda bad for him. He's trying his best! He's just walking into all this mess.

Vista's chapter made me cry. She's so strong for standing up to Shadow Stalker like that! And the story's tackling on trying to 'fill in' somebody's role after they've passed really hit me like a freight train.

\====

[Az.Interlude 2: Now Obligatory Protectorate (and Dragon) Tier List]

S [This is actually based off of the arc 10 interlude, wait for that.] - Dragon

A [Assault- Oh] - Miss Militia

B [Battery] - Battery

C [Cool? I think?] - Assault, Triumph, Velocity

D ['Dunno] - [Anyone who I haven't remembered. I don't know that many...]

F [Fucking Armsmaster] - Guess who

\====

9.3 was a nifty chapter, too. It's probably the only instance of a 'character are bored in an exposition-lecture' that I've actually thought was pretty well done?

Also, it's nice to get some Clockblocker characterisation. He gets a pass for his flaws because of his context. I do hope his dad ends up getting healed-- but the scenario as a whole really makes me feel for Amy/Panacea. There's so much suffering in the world, and it's -technically- preventable. Just through her. How much of a weight on her shoulders is that?

\====

[Az.Interlude 3: Favorite Arcs]

S - [Super Good Arc] [4. Shell] [8. Extermination] [9. Sentinel] [10. Parasite.]

A [A really good Arc] - [11. Infestation] [6. Tangle] [7. Buzz]

B [Breally good] - [1. Gestation] [2. Insinuation] [3. Agitation]

\====

(See what I'm doing there, by the way? Interlude Arc? Load of Interlude Tier lists? Whatever.) KID WIN ADHD TINKER REP!!!!

I think that's my cue to hop on over to

ARC 10 -- PARASITE

Okay, sure, sure-- Taylor's back, but on uneasy terms, swallowing her pride, sure--

ALEC. ALEC! I THOUGHT YOU JUST MADE PEOPLE TRIP! And I thought even how -that- power was utilized was a little horrifying. This is just... I mean. I'll talk about it some more in the interlude.

Hi Imp! It's nice to meet you! Where'd you come from? Or maybe she was here the whole time, and that's her power--

Imp's neat. I like her power, and I'm hoping we see more of her! She doesn't quite live up to the rest of the gang just yet, but, I mean-- they've been around 9 more arcs. I was wondering if The Undersiders were going to recruit some more members...

This Arc's short but sweet. An infiltration à la the bank robbery, some fights with some superheroes-- and, Dragon!!! Dragon is so cool!!! I love Dragon!!!! We'll get there!!!!

I expected Bitch and Taylor to have a proper confrontation about everything, but... She really just sabotaged her mid-mission? Taylor's beatdown of her was unfortunately deserved-- like, c'mon. You're hurt. More than any of the others, really. But you didn't even 'eye for an eye' her, you went ahead and 'eye for a head' or whatever the relevant saying'd be. I

*really

* hope she takes her up on that offer.

Everything was going alright, even if Dragon'd appeared and made the escape a little tricky. And, oh. A meeting with Coil. Maybe Taylor can hash things out, and come up with a deal that reflects her--

So. That's one way to make an impression of a new overarching villain group. What the actual fuck, Jack. The absolute balls of this reveal-- I have no idea what to make of it, and already Jack just in how he's been described in passing, and-- this-- already made me clock him as a huge threat. I can't wait to see how this goes. I'm sure it'll go great. I'm sure.

ARC 10 -- INTERLUDE [ALEC]

Alec, alecalecalec-- What the actual fuck. I really should have thought twice when Lisa clocked you as a sociopath on first sight. This chapter was scary. Even Sophia doesn't deserve that. The "breach of privacy" -- if you can even -call- it that, with how far it went, made me sick to my stomach.

It's 'kinda crazy that this is just something that continued word-for-word from an earlier chapter. What else has happened directly after Taylor's POV left a scene? What has she missed?

I'm sure this won't come back to bite Taylor in the ass.

Or that.

I think something really awful happened to Shadow Stalker. [2]

Even after all that. I still like Alec. I think. In his own, fucked up, twisted way, he's getting payback for Taylor. He just has no limit. And, I mean-- he is still a kid. That had a horrendous, abuse-ridden upbringing. I don't know. I'm allowed to have complicated feelings about the main cast!

ARC 10 -- INTERLUDE [DRAGON]

Dragon, on the other hand, is objectively fucking cool. She's not even human! What?! It's 2011! Or something like that. I'm a bit of a dork for the 'kinda stuff that the opening third of this chapter was. That it was layered with limitations, purposeful, intended ones that dig under Dragon's skin at all times-- that she's keeping this a secret from even her closest co-workers-- only made me root for her character even more. I'm hoping she's, uh. 'One of the good ones'? Is that how you'd put it? Weird considering she's a hero, but--

*Armsmaster. *Come on.

Oh, look. It came back to bite Taylor in the ass.

Taylor in Arc 11 ruminates on how she'd face losing her civillian identity. But I don't think she quite understands the ramification of it just yet. This is the beginning of the end, in that regard-- Dragon found her.

I'll try not to gush about an interlude too much just to get to Arc 11 and wrap up this post before the day's over, so I'll just leave it at:

*The conversation between Lung and Marquis was very interesting. ****I hope Amy is okay.***

Arc 11 -- INFESTATION (I haven't read the interludes yet! I thought the final base-11 was a good place to stop.)

The Merchants are pretty fucked up, huh? 'Might makes Right' as an actual group philosphy never works. And I don't think the leader's are -that- stupid. I wonder what their deal is?

And, yeah. I'll finally bring it up, Worm. You've got me. *I'm interested in whatever the fuck Case 53 is. *And so is Faultine, apparently. Let's hope they stay in touch with Lisa.

Skitter taking over her territory was rad. She'll make a great monarch! (Queen bee? Is there an insect joke you can make here?)

Whatever my views about how things should be handled, Taylor's helping people in the here and now, and keeping groups like The Merchants out. Helping families. I think what she's doing is right.

And, for once, it all works out! Not without a hitch. Or an underlying dread. Taylor being the arbiter of one of the more straight up 'bad' Merchant's fate is a little telling that her moral's have shifted, somewhat. She's more comfortable leaving someone to die than insisting they have the right to a fair trial, etc-- even if the situtation did totally call for it.

Faultline's crew showing up was neat. I don't think I've mentioned Labyrinth, actually. Her and Newter are my favorite of Faultline's crew. I might go back and re-read Gregor's interlude, just for another look at how Faultline runs things.

And, my god. Brian finally picked up some slack, after some nudging via Lisa. Good on her. The dynamic needs some work from the both of them to build up the trust they once had. But they'll be friends in no time. I hope. Everything's working out.

...

*Oh my god, No, Taylor you can't ****say it!***

Everything is going to go to shit, isn't it?

I don't want to read on anymore. Can't it stop right here? Taylor won, got her friends back? Please?

See you all on the other side. Promise it won't take as long.

#worm liveblog #worm spoilers #worm web serial #wormblr #liveblog

[azreactstowormtheserial]

I need a breather [Az.Interlude]

Don't worry! Only for a day. And in a good way? Arc 8 was overwhelming, and I need some time to put it into words, I think. (I'm so glad Arc 9's a bit of a interlude-arc, or I would've gone crazy.) I'll try my best and articulate what 'Exterminate' did to my brain and where I think the story'll go from here, since I'm now graduating 'Early Worm'...

#liveblogging #worm liveblog #worm spoilers #worm web serial #wormblr

[azreactstowormtheserial]

Yeah, okay. [7.1-8.1]

"I don't know much about Coil, and by his own words, he is not a good person. But as the only person striving for meaningful change-- whether his methods are morally sound or not-- I think I'd feel more comfortable with Skitter under his wing than, say, Armsmaster's." I should try and hold my tongue when it comes to making moral judgements, 'cause I have a feeling they're all going to come back to bite me.

Arc 7 had a lot of emotional ups-and-downs. I'm starting to love the dynamic between Taylor and Rachel-- and I'm glad there's so much of it. Out of everyone in the crew, Rachel needed the most screentime to not stay the same hard to understand person that attacked Taylor out of nowhere, and it definitely paid off. Alec's... complicated? I knew from the start that his demeanour-- and hell, the fact that he's a parahuman to begin with-- was a front, and his attitudes a result of a fucked up past. Now we've been given just a little bit of insight to it, and we've really seen Alec and how he acts as an Undersider for a while, I think Alec is easily the most closed off of the 5. Not that that's a bad thing. I just hope he gets more time to shine. Before anything of the sort could happen, though-- fucking Coil! Coil! What are you doing!! Thinking about the moral implications of what Coil is doing hurts my head. In a good way. Even after what he did threw The Undersiders completely under the bus-- I was sure he had a rational, maybe-fucked-up, course of reasoning behind it. He was playing a game of 4D Chess while we were seeing just one angle of the picture, and couldn't have known what forced him to make that play. And, the fights inbetween were really cool. But then, towards the tail-end of the arc, we actually speak to Coil. And--

Even before I clocked it-- around the same time as Taylor, coincidentally-- something was just so horrifically wrong with this scene. The tension, the vibes-- immaculate. My favorite single chapter to date.

Coil is terrifying. Regardless of his motivations, what he wants to bring to the city, I just can't imagine it as a better place if its in control of someone like him.

The way he speaks is cold and calculating. His methods are cruel and cross a clear line. He kidnapped a kid! And has her on fucking Molly, for all I know! But even after all that, I didn't expect the confrontation moments after. Taylor just leaving. Done and disappointed so soon after her pledge to want to get to know her friends without the whole double-agent weight on her back. It hurt.

And I thought it was just going to end there, and then an end-of-the-world-scenario-happened-out-of-nowhere.

I 'dunno. I feel like my heart's got emotional whiplash, and that I need a break-- but fuck that, I'm ploughing through. See you after Arc 8.

Oh, the interlude was good too, but I was a little too eager to get to 8.

#worm liveblog #wormblr #worm web serial #worm spoilers #liveblog #liveblogging

[azreactstowormtheserial]

I should probably do this at more regular intervals! [5.7-6.X]

Guess how I spent my sunday afternoon! I'll try and do this every, like, 3 chapters, maybe? Because fuck, there's a lot to talk about. Let me try and do it in order. Arc 5 (.7 onwards) So, the Lung rematch honestly took me by surprise. The whole arc did, really? Going from a pretty depressing but harshly real depiction of what happens to girls like Taylor, to 'Fuck it, let's fuck shit up', to Lung is back! Already! It's Arc 5! I was so sure his escape and reappearance was going to be a big thing the characters dreaded and came back to bite them at the last moment, but-- And yeesh, was 5.9 a chapter. There's a certain passage in the introductory page for Worm: "Morality isn’t black and white, Taylor and her acquaintances aren’t invincible, the heroes aren’t winning the war between right and wrong ..." Every fight has me at the edge of my seat. Last year for me's been pretty brutal for media depicting major-character-deaths like it's no big deal-- and the moment Lung came back, I was so sure someone was dead. I thought it might've been-- and after the interlude, real glad it wasn't-- Newter. But somehow, everyone managed to get off scott-free. And after the fiasco that was Arc 6-- we'll get there!-- I just don't know how long this'll last. Even for the Undersiders. Which makes me want to predict deaths. I think because of the phrasing of the opening page, I know that Taylor is the POV character as a standard, and interludes are the exception. So unless this does some huge POV-shift, I think she's safe. From death, not from anything else. I am not entertaining the thought of Lisa's death. Brian and Alec, though? I don't know. I don't know about Alec at all, actually. He's kind of a scary guy? Horrifyingly subtle power, but really scarily applied in Arc 6. He's low-key one of the strongest, at least potential wise, in The Undersiders. I think Brian is going to have more story to him, now that his past's all been laid out? But later on, I just can't say. I really hope he doesn't, he means a lot to Taylor, and he's a good shoulder to lean on. Rachel-- 'Bitch'? I can't remember if she prefers one or the other... -- is a little harder to talk about. It was hard to like her after how she introduced herself! Mauling the POV character practically unprovoked isn't a good first impression. But, like Taylor's described, I feel, she's started to grow on me. Arc 5 touched on her character and personality in a nice way. I'd already started to sympathize with her come the end of Arc 4, rather than just view her as a begrudingly amazing tool for the team, but the dynamic between her and Taylor in Arc 5 was peak. She gave her her jacket!

Arc 5 Interlude This is really sweet! It left Arc 5 off on a high note. 'Kinda. I don't know what to make of the 5.X interlude. It was interesting. Newter was nice to see again. Flatline was intriguing to get a closer look at. Gregor is a strange person, but so-- I don't know if blunt is the right word, but 'sincere'-- almost refreshingly so given the web of deception going on in every other Arc-- that I liked him by the end. What I don't know what to make of in particular is the tattoos. Does it imply that there's a different-type of origination for parahuman powers? Is it artificial? I don't know! But I'm interested in finding out! Arc 6 Anyway, that was what, 4 chapters' thoughts? Let's talk about Arc 6. I started off my liveblog talking about how one of the most interesting plot threads was the growing inner-struggle Taylor has of working with The Undersiders and having agreed to double-cross them. Something I neglected to mention as well, was Taylor's dad, Danny. Straight from the get-go, both of these are the spotlight. They almost seem to slowly be intertwining the further the Arc goes on-- something I felt especially towards the end, and a final decision Taylor makes. If it wasn't painfully clear already, I like how this arc brings to the forefront how muddy the line between traditional 'good and evil' is. Armsmaster is blatantly not-good. He does not seem to value what is right and what is wrong, and-- while we do not see inside his mind-- Taylor does, and that his reputation is above all else is very telling. Luckily, he gets what he deserves. Cue my favorite passage of the serial so far:

Actually has me grinning while reading this chapter. It is unlikely Armsmaster is the only Hero that isn't all too much of one. I'm certainly not the most researched on the subject, but the parallels between Heroes and the Cops of today seem to be a major theme. With Coil entering the picture-- and, what a fucking reveal, by the way!-- I can't imagine this idea is going to take a backseat any time soon. I don't know much about Coil, and by his own words, he is not a good person. But as the only person striving for meaningful change-- whether his methods are morally sound or not-- I think I'd feel more comfortable with Skitter under his wing than, say, Armsmaster's. From his actions and his one-chapter-of-glory alone, he's a character I'm interesting in looking out for. Arc 6 made me cry! This will likely be a running theme, as I'm warned. 6.9 in particular is where it got me. That shit was crushing. As someone that struggles with anger, I admire Danny for keeping as collected as he did given the circumstance. He really does love her, and it's awful that Taylor's gotten so deep into things so quickly that she just can't be honest with him. Not until he knows what she is, and what she does. I thought Danny and Taylor's relationship was going in a healthy direction, after the incident in the mall, but I think that was just far too wishful thinking, with how everything was going to play out. ..Conversely, it looks like Taylor is figuring herself out. Writing that letter I think finally helped her analyse what she was doing, what she cared about, and what she wanted-- contextualized after finally learning about Coil and his intentions, and everything she and The Undersiders'd been through up until now. It was a powerful moment-- burning it especially. And maybe my favorite ending to an arc so fa-- Oh! Wait! There's an interlude! This is horrifying! It sure didn't shy down from takes about law and justice! The idea of a Rogue is interesting, and one I didn't even consider in the context of the world just yet. Apparently, the world's still working on that front, too. 'Making an example' of someone in a legal context is terrifying enough. That example being that the use of powers in any altercation, if you aren't grinning and willing to be part of the governments personal army of upholding the status quo, is LIFE IMPRISONMENT IN THE MONSTER DUNGEON-- like, fuck. If this is the system Heroes are defending, it's a little bit beyond muddied good and evils, it's a swamp.

Here is a bisexual Newter as a treat for making it this far among my ramblings. (thank you, mischievious magpie.) I'm sorry that they're so -rambly-! I had a lot of thoughts, and couldn't even get all of them down! Like, here's a few more bonus-thoughts: -The way Taylor via Newter-poison fucking owned Lung was rad as hell! - This!

But, yeah. I just wanted to get this out so I could keep going this evening, and on my walk. I'll stop again at 7.4-ish, and write my thoughts so this doesn't happen again. I certainly won't do more than an arc at a time. Az out!

#worm liveblog #wormblr #liveblog #liveblogging #worm web serial #worm spoilers #ramblings

[azreactstowormtheserial]

Hello! [1.1 - 5.6]

Az here! A little bird told me to start a liveblog for my worm readthrough-- that's https://parahumans.wordpress.com/ -- to collect thoughts and theories! Is this 'wormblr'?

I'll probably do posts, like: Chapters Covered: -X -X -X And then write my thoughts, theories, ramblings, screams, any relevant differential equations, etc. Oh, and-- goes without saying-- PLEASE BE CAREFUL WITH SPOILERS! I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING AND IT'S SCARY! I LIKE BEING SCARED! ----------------------

I'm currently on Arc 5, Hive, Chapter 7. And, AHHH! AHHH! It's a fun treat to find a really long, drawn out story that keeps me in suspense the whole time. Taylor and her friendship with The Undersiders is the main one right now-- it's really heartwarming that she's found her people, but there's the uncertainty she's having and putting to one side makes me sad... I think that when push comes to shove, Taylor won't abandon her friends. IMO it's a facet of her immaturity that after her two lives became intertwined by Brian and Lisa visiting her place, or soon after her recovery, she didn't spill the beans. But that might also just be my wishful thinking, hoping that she can trust them enough to be honest. Speaking of Lisa, I have a feeling she already knows? With what she's said, she just strikes me as a really good person. Maybe there's some motivations of her own to invite Taylor over to her team after seeing her in action Vs. Lung-- I don't know-- but I think if anyone, since she can literally read the room as her superpower, she wouldn't feel betrayed over Taylor 'kinda starting their interactions as a double agent. I'd like to think Brian, Alec and Rachel would take it okay, too. Her interactions haven't been a lie, she's just 15 and a little stupid-- which is okay! But really, it's hard to say. I just hope this heart-to-heart happens sooner rather than later, 'cause the longer it goes on...

Anyway, uh-- what do people say in wormblr liveblogs? Favorite Character: Lisa! I just think she's neat! Favorite Power: Lisa! From the moment she introduced it properly, 'My superpower is 'I know' ' has always been my favorite. ..Taylor is a maybe-close 2nd, though. I'm scared of insects and just the thought of what she can do with them is horrifying and amazing

Favorite Arc: I don't know! Probably 4, I think. The bank heist was a fucking rollercoaster. Favorite Interlude: 4.X, Brutus. Made me cry.

And I think that's all I have to say? There's more story beats and other characters I wanna gush over, but I think I'll leave it for whenever things come up in subsequent arcs. Bye-bye!

#wormblr #worm #worm spoilers #worm web serial #worm liveblog #liveblogging