kelgar04
Knight Watcher
- Location
- Here and no were
I don't think the path can protect against human error though so that may factor into how effective she can be.
Distance Learning for fun and profit...
- Thread starter mp3.1415player
- Start date
-
- Tags
- worm
I don't think the path can protect against human error though so that may factor into how effective she can be.
Speaking of Worm, I'd rather disagree with your statement.
X-Men are a much better setting for "mutants" (in many ways), but I don't see it having tons of fix-fics (despite being a literal Multiverse).
And Zion is literally a Flying Spaghetti Evil God, a thing ABHORRENT by its own definition, lol.
If Worm was more like Mauling Snarks, maybe, but the actual canon is basically "let's make tons of pointlessly evil villains, tons of useless stupid heroes, sprinkle it with a truckload of needless suffering - and let's invent the most stupidest excuses for all of it in the first place, because it's suddenly not their fault".
Which is STUPID.
kelgar04
Knight Watcher
- Location
- Here and no were
Damn I got to remember that one its really quite funny.
More like annoying as a Broken Plot Device.
Even more than MADara or Mamaguya, loool.
- Location
- Christchurch, New Zealand
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I imagined something sort of like this as an alternative:
Taylor: "Hey DARPA, here's this really cool thing I invented that lets people listen to aliens and here's working gravity tech I reverse engineered from watching them."
DARPA: "Wow that sounds amazing. Please keep watching the aliens! Here's ALL OF THE MONEYS for R&D, a team of experts to work with on the alien thing and bounce ideas off and we'll pay you even more moneys for any other alien radio stations you find."
- Location
- Germany
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Alternately:
DARPA: "How did you watch alien TV?"
Taylor: "I made a receiver. It's really cool, it works based on <succint explanation making listening physicists resemble goldfish>. And after that, all I had to do was understand their symbology, derive their advanced understanding of maths and physics from that and proof I understood it correctly by making the frame generator."
DARPA: "Wow that sounds amazing. Please keep watching the aliens! Here's ALL OF THE MONEYS for R&D, a team of experts to work with on the alien thing and bounce ideas off and we'll pay you even more moneys for any other alien radio stations you find. Also, could we get your notes? You did make notes, didn't you?"
kelgar04
Knight Watcher
- Location
- Here and no were
Taylor: "Of course what do you take me for a two-bit tinker hack?"
Last edited:
Jadesteele
Out of my Mind - Back in 5 Minutes
- Location
- half-way between 'Crazy' And 'Eccentric'
Not only are they not X-com, the PRT often gets beaten up by them in the couple of ficcas with worm/x-com crossed over in.
Wouldn't that be the president, ultimately?
They also, according to ship floorplans, forgot the idea of convenient restrooms (seriously, i've seen floorplan layouts for Voyager and The enterprise-C, not one listed toilet block anywhere.)
"Why aren't there any restrooms on this ship?"
"Oh, we just use the transporters to remove any waste material automatically! No need for restrooms and toilets these days."
"That's why the transporter room always smells funny!"
- Location
- Software
They are joking ... and not joking at the same time. She is the kind "asset" that could produce wars, specially with dictatorships like worm!China.
Now I can see Contesa putting on red wigs and playing top spy!
A bit more seriously the spy is (probably) a Black Widow expy. Which is a good option for scary sneaky spy spying.
I think that we are forgetting that all parahumans tend to choose the most conflict leaning by default. It's canon that most of the shards poke their hosts to create conflict. Lisa pissing off the Supergirl expy and the scariest biomanipulator in the story, for example.
The fact that she is also learning from aliens also break all the precogs in the setting too. Is canon that you can kill a "perfect" precog by attacking from outside the ( very big ) range of the shards.
As I said before, conflict is a bit of ingrained.
I mean people criticize MpPi for calling them morons, but Alexandria ( a supposed genius level thinker ) died in canon because she was too dumb to ask contessa before making a "weak insect master" believe she was MURDERING her friends.
I mean "path to convince Taylor Hebert to help us kill Scion" would be probably 1 or 2 steps frigging long!
"Scion is going to murder us all, please help us stop him!"
... But no she needed to send her to the STUPID jail for people too dangerous to live.
...I like worm, but wildbow failed to show any PoV that would make cauldron not look like concussed golden retriever puppies in the "level of brainz"
Alexandria has a dead shard. The limits and the conflict drive are supposed to be off. Contessa i'm not sure (she was from the Thinker but it was given by Abbadon, so probably yes).
Most of the trouble cauldron had with the vials and case 53's was because of this lack of network backup or limits. In fact, i bet original fab 4 were the 'lucky ones' among the first generation volunteers and the rest either died or were the first 'exiled' case 53.
Some had their manton limits obviously not turned on (I doubt the Siberian would be allowed to be omni-annihilator if it wasn't a vial), some couldn't handle the power interaction with biology without the network.
I guess many 'dead' shards might care about the conflict drive still like some can still mostly handle biology, but i'd bet on 'uncommon' since there is a lack of network to ping updates and targets from. It's possible that Alexandria's is one since it has a thinker rating i guess.
Most of the trouble cauldron had with the vials and case 53's was because of this lack of network backup or limits. In fact, i bet original fab 4 were the 'lucky ones' among the first generation volunteers and the rest either died or were the first 'exiled' case 53.
Some had their manton limits obviously not turned on (I doubt the Siberian would be allowed to be omni-annihilator if it wasn't a vial), some couldn't handle the power interaction with biology without the network.
I guess many 'dead' shards might care about the conflict drive still like some can still mostly handle biology, but i'd bet on 'uncommon' since there is a lack of network to ping updates and targets from. It's possible that Alexandria's is one since it has a thinker rating i guess.
Last edited:
- Location
- Right next to the butcher's shop.
There was this beautiful one shot where she talked to Dinah before going to Skitter, and she was told she'd most likely die. However, it increased the odds for the human race by 2%. So she goes and bullies Taylor, knowing she'll die, because it's what's best for beating Scion.
Not Canon in any way, ofc. Still, fun little snippet.
Overall, it comes down to how you view cauldrons intent. I believe they were essentially playing the odds, doing everything they could to get a chance, no matter how monstrous. Doesn't make the good, but it makes them 'greater good' villains that were willing to go through with it. Writing them as complete incompetents or mustache twirling villains doesn't really fit with their stated goal.
No shit they fuck up, or there's be no story. But it's not really with malicious intent, no matter how vile the act.
And that's the last I'll say on this, or we're going to derail more than we already have. Feel free to disagree though.
- Location
- NA
They laugh now, but I doubt they will be laughing once the CUI starts poking around trying to brainwash Taylor. I mean sure this is an MP3 story so I doubt they will get even close to succeeding, but yeah, definitely a possibilty of war over Taylor.
I've said this before, I'll say it again.
There are only two way to make canon-like Cauldron make any amount of sense. They are either unqualified/incompetent for what they are claiming to try to do, or they are stretched super-thin putting out all the parahuman-related fires that just keep happening.
So far I have not seen any sign of Cauldron being particularly strained, so Incompetence is the more logical explanation.
There are only two way to make canon-like Cauldron make any amount of sense. They are either unqualified/incompetent for what they are claiming to try to do, or they are stretched super-thin putting out all the parahuman-related fires that just keep happening.
So far I have not seen any sign of Cauldron being particularly strained, so Incompetence is the more logical explanation.
- Location
- Australia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I love that fic. Especially since Dinah rips into Lexi for knowing damn well what Coil was doing to her and actively choosing not to do anything... And hating the fact she can understand Lexis logic. And then Lexi learns that if she goes to Brockton, she won't just die, but her crimes will be revealed to all and she'd be remembered forevermore as a monster... But it was also the best chance of having any future to remember her.
It was really great at showing a shades of grey, we've tried all other options version of Cauldron, which is my favourite.
SanguisAnima
Σ Series Z10/0 Group A 4A-GELU Mk1
- Location
- nowhere important
Would you, by any chance, have a title or link to said oneshot, please? I find myself curious and intrigued...
- Location
- Right next to the butcher's shop.
Helian's Daily Writing Practice
So, after reading BeaconHill's Morning Worm, as well as some of the other threads in that vein...
forums.spacebattles.com
Here you go.
SanguisAnima
Σ Series Z10/0 Group A 4A-GELU Mk1
- Location
- nowhere important
Arigathanks gozaimuch~!
*off to read*
*off to read*
JoshuaSweetvale
Insectovore
- Location
- NL, 65 Million Years Ago
Because Cauldron are idiots
The problem isn't that Cauldron tried.
It's that half a dozen people got a god-machine's corpse to study and they only got one scientist on board. Who promptly went mad and joined the S9.
All they've visibly done is aggrandize power unto themselves, and plod along, uneducated, throwing cerebrospinal smoothie at the wall. Not a single person in Cauldron has finished college!
Maybe they've 'increased stability' - In America. Four Americans decided to prioritize America, who'da thunk it. And yet some other parts of the world seem to be doing alright despite them. Europe and India haven't gone to Fist of the North Star hell like Africa or China.
But Alexandria and Contessa (and Numberman) are steering government policy and manipulating the public subconcious. (Why nobody's just sniped certain capes is explicitly Contessa making the few desperate attempts fail.) Without consent from the governed! And that's treason.
Moreover it's stifling actual creative solutions to the parahuman problem. It's all top-down. One could argue Cauldron is an Eden plot.
It's not that Cauldron doesn't do their best. It's that their best is (perhaps practically and certainly morally) worse than doing nothing at all.
No. In Canon, they didn't unshackle Dragon, who's got a very similar strategic impact to this Taylor. Instead Alexandria shoved illegal orders down her throat. They preferred an obedient slave to a competent asset.
They demonstrably can't be trusted with the fate of the world: Only when Contessa got K.O.'d did Khepri appear. That is the smoking gun that PtV is a sneaky little loyalist.
Cauldron Delenda Est
Last edited:
- Location
- Germany
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I thought that's what automated precise transporter beams are good for ...
kelgar04
Knight Watcher
- Location
- Here and no were
Is that why every star fleet ship has window wipers?
M. H. Fuzzball
Aperture Science-certified Horrible Person
- Location
- Sector 2814
The redhead who talked to Kaiser can't be Contessa because Contessa wouldn't be able to genuinely get the necessary security clearances, not having been born in America on Bet.
Well, it's not like she had a handy pocket watch to use.
kelgar04
Knight Watcher
- Location
- Here and no were
Or in a society where that is even a thing remember she was just a peasant girl in an Iron age or Medieval society (forget which) at the end of the day who didn't die when her family mutated and got the I win button.
In all honest I pretty sure she needs her power to even function normally and won't be surprised if the PtV has stunted her mental development.
Last edited:
- Location
- Australia
- Pronouns
- She/Her