- Location
- United States
There are millions of people who are named Rebecca. To people who don't know it's just vaguely amusing trivia that they share the same first name.
Project Gamer: Anime Adjacent
- Thread starter Mister Ficser
- Start date
Lycanthromancer
The Arcane Fuzz
- Location
- USA
Should be "raised".
- Location
- Australia
... Yeah, there's some more of that existential horror and dread that Worm's (in)famous for, right there: finding out one of your major superhero teams might have been mastered and/or replaced by a bunch of sicko cultists without folks realising for months, possibly years?
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Debatable Legend barely appears in canon and even then we see him way back in 2000 give the Siberian a hostage to nibble on to keep it in place to buy time for the others to arrive, allowed Madcap to insist Battery was his probation officer despite the fact she didn't like him while he enjoyed messing with her, under the agnosia plague he backed up to a wall and violently lashed out at anyone approaching instead of say flying high into the sky and when he did investigate Cauldron in canon after seeing Contessa intervene to stop Manton who was the Siberian's controller from dying he chose to do nothing about it after overhearing more of their bad deeds and even still defended them when they got exposed during Echidna.
People were berating them for having 3 members there all of which approached Al, Chort and Vicky which is a fairly confrontational tone it would have been less so if say Velocity and Miss Militia were speaking with a member of the staff or the victims and only Armsy approached.
Before they arrived no tho they knew there were 4 individuals who were highly likely to be capes due to either being kidnapped for being capes and were in a situation likely to trigger them if not. Then they identified the one that was the reported dead protectorate member.
I believe that was Starfinder by BowlerHatGuy, pretty fun si story
Lycanthromancer
The Arcane Fuzz
- Location
- USA
Not that one, but thanks for sharing it.
Also: Starfinder (Worm/Starfinder RPG)
I do like D&D/PF stories, so I'll have to read it.
- Location
- Whadjuk Noongar boodja
That's a major problem with comics in general, though admittedly it seems to be a bigger problem at DC than it has been at Marvel. (At least that I've noticed myself.)
Given the description, I'd be very surprised if that didn't come from Accord, regardless of where/when/how Al picked it up. It sounds exactly like the way Al's current System would limit a copy of a canon Shard power.
Some people don't just need killin', they really deserve killin' multiple times. Mama Mathers was very definitely one of those people.
And yet, PRT ENE is one of the most successful and effective examples of the franchise.
It's a super shitty move, agreed, no matter how much of a pain in the arse Vicky has been the last couple of times Al's run into her.That said, even making allowances for him being both highly stressed and pissed off on both occasions, (especially with her), he should Quit It pretty much immediately. Not using someone's chosen name is completely uncool and unacceptable.
Not to Legend, unless/until things go waaaay further south than they have or look likely to at this point. As others have already pointed out, Legend is one of, if not the only, actually 'good' person in Worm, and Al both knows that and respects the man.
Point. Fortunately, it's (currently) a version of Worm that isn't completely under the thumb of Wildbow.
I kind of doubt that Legend would want to spread around the information that he has MP at least somewhat keeping tabs on some/most of what Al is getting up to, not least because that surveillance is an important counter to the standard Cauldron bullshit he gets fed.
Yes, it's so that L has at least some idea of WTF is actually going on when and where Al is about, but it's also confirmation of the things Al has already told him about how shitty DM/C/etc are when they think they aren't being watched. Legend isn't a fool, and having been told that many/most of his more trusted colleagues are actually both fools and monsters, he's not going to automatically trust anyone on their word alone for a good while.
And that's even before he got the news about HardHeart. (Which is going to go horribly for the person/persons responsible. )
Lycanthromancer
The Arcane Fuzz
- Location
- USA
That's because "catch and release" doesn't work on mass-murdering psychopaths.
Dragons tea shop by Aria
Worm 58
How to Beat Fried Worms
Disclaimer: Worm is owned by Wildbow, and he can keep it.
-----
Chapter 58: Insidious
Interlude: Legend
-----
To say that Legend was upset was to imply that the ocean was nothing more significant than a puddle.
HardHeart had been one of the first Masters in the Wards program. He remembered the angry, belligerent girl that joined his team at the stressful, confusing age of 14. He remembered her struggles as she came to terms with her powers, as her teammates came to rely on her ability to harden not just her heart, but theirs as well to help them fight and make rational, tactical decisions in the heat of combat.
He remembered being proud of her, not just for being a member of his team but for the growth she'd gone through as she learned to trust her teammates. He'd pinned the ceremonial badge declaring her an authorized officer of the Protectorate to her lapel in a public ceremony and, when he'd said he would be proud to have her fighting at his side, he'd damn well meant it.
He remembered... the weight of her casket, all too heavy on his shoulder on the day they buried her. An autumn day, cold and windy, one of the few days he'd had the entirety of the New York Protectorate in attendance.
'She went out fighting,' Colossus, the leader of the Missouri branch of the Protectorate had said.
'She was a real hero,' Goliath, the second in command had chimed in. 'If it wasn't for her quick thinking, we wouldn't have managed to get away!'
'We'll get 'em,' Colossus had promised, empty words with empty results. There hadn't been any breakthroughs against the Fallen and Legend had his own department to run, he couldn't have gone to run a one-man crusade.
He...
He'd trusted them.
Stomping past Apollyon, recognizable for the first time that Legend had ever seen the man, Legend could feel his power squirming within his grip. It was trying to respond to whatever threat Legend was dealing with, itching to fire off lasers or turn him into a being of pure light but he kept a tight lid on the impulses.
He was in a hospital, not a war zone, and it better damned well stay that way.
"Let me through!" Legend growled.
"Sir," Armsmaster said, a frown visible through his beard. "You know I can't let you do that. As per protocol, a suspected Master victim must be vetted and evaluated before coming into direct contact with anyone above an Officer in rank."
"Armsmaster," Legend demanded, his voice getting louder with every syllable. "I damn well know what the protocols are, I wrote half of them! And you are going to-"
"Keith," Apollyon's voice cut in, slicing through the focus of Legend's rage and drawing it to the man in question. Turning harshly, Legend met the man's eyes. "You're in a hospital. Act like it."
Legend breathed harshly through his nose for several seconds, his fists clenching and unclenching as he gritted his teeth. Finally, taking one long, deep breath, he turned back to Armsmaster, Velocity and Miss Militia.
"...How is she doing?" Legend asked as the red receded from the edges of his vision.
Armsmaster had been in the right. Yelling at the man was... inappropriate of him. Especially considering he was doing the job that Legend had given him, and doing it correctly.
"Better than the others," Miss Militia told him, her voice quiet. "She's coherent, speaking full sentences and aware of what was done to her. I'm assuming that would be a consequence of using her power on herself."
"That's..." Not good, Legend couldn't bring himself to call it good. "Something."
Bringing his hands up, Legend ran them up the sides of his face, around the domino mask he wore and into his hair. He didn't even know where to try and start figuring out what he needed to do for HardHeart. They'd had issues in the past with Protectorate members being captured and then converted by villainous Masters. And, though he didn't like thinking about it, they'd dealt with sexual assault victims far too often for his liking.
With his rage floundering, Keith felt his energy fading with it. He just felt disgusted and hollowed out.
"What's your estimate on getting her through Master/Stranger screening?" Legend asked. He needed to see her. He needed to talk to her.
He needed to apologize to her.
"Using her Protectorate profile- That... may be an issue," Armsmaster interrupted himself, his tone turning quizzical where it'd previously been serious. "With the risk of the Missouri branch being compromised, her most recent profile could have been co-opted. That could make verifying her identity and mental state much more difficult..."
"Her Wards paperwork is archived in New York," Legend said before he sighed in exhaustion. They were going to need to check everyone that had passed through the Protectorate Heartland branch, double check their paperwork, probably increase the budgets to hire more accountants to verify everything... "I'll get it fast-tracked to you in the morning- I will personally hand it to you, Armsmaster."
"Then we could likely get a preliminary determination of her status completed within... 72 hours?" Armsmaster shook his head as a young woman in white robes stepped out of another room and began to walk towards Apollyon and the people around him. "We might be able to speed that up, but only if we can get approval from the doctors to interrogate her while she's recovering."
Interrogation was the... kindest word for it, really. There was no torture involved in Master/Stranger screening, they were better than that, but it would still be a deeply personal conversation that violated privacy in the worst of ways.
Oddly enough, it was also something that HardHeart would be able to get through better than almost anyone else. A fact that, honestly, provided no comfort for Legend as he realized it.
They discussed formalities for a moment more but everyone was tired and Miss Militia still needed to get the statements from two more girls that had been brought back from the Fallen compound. The remaining trio of men finished their discussion and Legend turned to leave.
He paused, however, as he took in Apollyon, surrounded by two teens and someone that, frankly, Keith could not figure out the age of. A man with the physique a body-builder would be envious of but a face that looked like it belonged to a child.
"Apollyon," Legend called out as he approached. The man turned his head to look at him, away from the purpling face of the blond girl, and locked his yellow eyes with Legend's mask. "I hate that I have to say it, given the circumstances, but... Thank you."
"Legend..." Apollyon made several aborted attempts to speak, his words stuttering at times before he settled on what he wanted to say. "You're not welcome. Not for this. Not for what I did."
Keith sighed, his chest aching. He understood. There was no satisfaction, no joy in what Apollyon had done. The man was going to be haunted by what he'd done, what he'd seen.
"All the same? You brought them back. That's not something that everyone could accomplish. Or something many people would even care to try." Legend closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, a memory of the last time someone had found an 'Answer' to an outpost of the Fallen still burned at his nose. "More than one family might be put back together thanks to this."
"...One of the girls tried to slit her wrists when I broke the handcuffs they had on her," Apollyon started to say, a haunted look in his eyes. "I healed that but... what they did to her mind, her soul? It won't just go away. They'll never be able to go back to who they were." Apollyon's hands clenched so hard that they shook. "How many more am I going to have to kill, Keith? How many more monsters did Cauldron just toss out into the wind?"
...Cauldron?
Cauldron was responsible for Harley's fate, trapped in that cabin?!
"...I think we're overdue for a talk," Legend softly said as he turned his gaze to the girl in white, the healer. "Is there an empty room nearby?"
The girl, Panacea a distant, quiet part of Keith's mind reminded him, looked as tired as he felt but nodded all the same.
Legend was tired. He was exhausted and frustrated and dreading the next morning when the whole mess began to snowball out of control.
But he was past due for some answers.
Disclaimer: Worm is owned by Wildbow, and he can keep it.
-----
Chapter 58: Insidious
Interlude: Legend
-----
To say that Legend was upset was to imply that the ocean was nothing more significant than a puddle.
HardHeart had been one of the first Masters in the Wards program. He remembered the angry, belligerent girl that joined his team at the stressful, confusing age of 14. He remembered her struggles as she came to terms with her powers, as her teammates came to rely on her ability to harden not just her heart, but theirs as well to help them fight and make rational, tactical decisions in the heat of combat.
He remembered being proud of her, not just for being a member of his team but for the growth she'd gone through as she learned to trust her teammates. He'd pinned the ceremonial badge declaring her an authorized officer of the Protectorate to her lapel in a public ceremony and, when he'd said he would be proud to have her fighting at his side, he'd damn well meant it.
He remembered... the weight of her casket, all too heavy on his shoulder on the day they buried her. An autumn day, cold and windy, one of the few days he'd had the entirety of the New York Protectorate in attendance.
'She went out fighting,' Colossus, the leader of the Missouri branch of the Protectorate had said.
'She was a real hero,' Goliath, the second in command had chimed in. 'If it wasn't for her quick thinking, we wouldn't have managed to get away!'
'We'll get 'em,' Colossus had promised, empty words with empty results. There hadn't been any breakthroughs against the Fallen and Legend had his own department to run, he couldn't have gone to run a one-man crusade.
He...
He'd trusted them.
Stomping past Apollyon, recognizable for the first time that Legend had ever seen the man, Legend could feel his power squirming within his grip. It was trying to respond to whatever threat Legend was dealing with, itching to fire off lasers or turn him into a being of pure light but he kept a tight lid on the impulses.
He was in a hospital, not a war zone, and it better damned well stay that way.
"Let me through!" Legend growled.
"Sir," Armsmaster said, a frown visible through his beard. "You know I can't let you do that. As per protocol, a suspected Master victim must be vetted and evaluated before coming into direct contact with anyone above an Officer in rank."
"Armsmaster," Legend demanded, his voice getting louder with every syllable. "I damn well know what the protocols are, I wrote half of them! And you are going to-"
"Keith," Apollyon's voice cut in, slicing through the focus of Legend's rage and drawing it to the man in question. Turning harshly, Legend met the man's eyes. "You're in a hospital. Act like it."
Legend breathed harshly through his nose for several seconds, his fists clenching and unclenching as he gritted his teeth. Finally, taking one long, deep breath, he turned back to Armsmaster, Velocity and Miss Militia.
"...How is she doing?" Legend asked as the red receded from the edges of his vision.
Armsmaster had been in the right. Yelling at the man was... inappropriate of him. Especially considering he was doing the job that Legend had given him, and doing it correctly.
"Better than the others," Miss Militia told him, her voice quiet. "She's coherent, speaking full sentences and aware of what was done to her. I'm assuming that would be a consequence of using her power on herself."
"That's..." Not good, Legend couldn't bring himself to call it good. "Something."
Bringing his hands up, Legend ran them up the sides of his face, around the domino mask he wore and into his hair. He didn't even know where to try and start figuring out what he needed to do for HardHeart. They'd had issues in the past with Protectorate members being captured and then converted by villainous Masters. And, though he didn't like thinking about it, they'd dealt with sexual assault victims far too often for his liking.
With his rage floundering, Keith felt his energy fading with it. He just felt disgusted and hollowed out.
"What's your estimate on getting her through Master/Stranger screening?" Legend asked. He needed to see her. He needed to talk to her.
He needed to apologize to her.
"Using her Protectorate profile- That... may be an issue," Armsmaster interrupted himself, his tone turning quizzical where it'd previously been serious. "With the risk of the Missouri branch being compromised, her most recent profile could have been co-opted. That could make verifying her identity and mental state much more difficult..."
"Her Wards paperwork is archived in New York," Legend said before he sighed in exhaustion. They were going to need to check everyone that had passed through the Protectorate Heartland branch, double check their paperwork, probably increase the budgets to hire more accountants to verify everything... "I'll get it fast-tracked to you in the morning- I will personally hand it to you, Armsmaster."
"Then we could likely get a preliminary determination of her status completed within... 72 hours?" Armsmaster shook his head as a young woman in white robes stepped out of another room and began to walk towards Apollyon and the people around him. "We might be able to speed that up, but only if we can get approval from the doctors to interrogate her while she's recovering."
Interrogation was the... kindest word for it, really. There was no torture involved in Master/Stranger screening, they were better than that, but it would still be a deeply personal conversation that violated privacy in the worst of ways.
Oddly enough, it was also something that HardHeart would be able to get through better than almost anyone else. A fact that, honestly, provided no comfort for Legend as he realized it.
They discussed formalities for a moment more but everyone was tired and Miss Militia still needed to get the statements from two more girls that had been brought back from the Fallen compound. The remaining trio of men finished their discussion and Legend turned to leave.
He paused, however, as he took in Apollyon, surrounded by two teens and someone that, frankly, Keith could not figure out the age of. A man with the physique a body-builder would be envious of but a face that looked like it belonged to a child.
"Apollyon," Legend called out as he approached. The man turned his head to look at him, away from the purpling face of the blond girl, and locked his yellow eyes with Legend's mask. "I hate that I have to say it, given the circumstances, but... Thank you."
"Legend..." Apollyon made several aborted attempts to speak, his words stuttering at times before he settled on what he wanted to say. "You're not welcome. Not for this. Not for what I did."
Keith sighed, his chest aching. He understood. There was no satisfaction, no joy in what Apollyon had done. The man was going to be haunted by what he'd done, what he'd seen.
"All the same? You brought them back. That's not something that everyone could accomplish. Or something many people would even care to try." Legend closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, a memory of the last time someone had found an 'Answer' to an outpost of the Fallen still burned at his nose. "More than one family might be put back together thanks to this."
"...One of the girls tried to slit her wrists when I broke the handcuffs they had on her," Apollyon started to say, a haunted look in his eyes. "I healed that but... what they did to her mind, her soul? It won't just go away. They'll never be able to go back to who they were." Apollyon's hands clenched so hard that they shook. "How many more am I going to have to kill, Keith? How many more monsters did Cauldron just toss out into the wind?"
...Cauldron?
Cauldron was responsible for Harley's fate, trapped in that cabin?!
"...I think we're overdue for a talk," Legend softly said as he turned his gaze to the girl in white, the healer. "Is there an empty room nearby?"
The girl, Panacea a distant, quiet part of Keith's mind reminded him, looked as tired as he felt but nodded all the same.
Legend was tired. He was exhausted and frustrated and dreading the next morning when the whole mess began to snowball out of control.
But he was past due for some answers.
Ethan Eldritch
Multi-Dimensional Eldritch Tree
- Location
- The Void between
- Pronouns
- Tree
Aw... shucks.
Honestly, I'm not sure if that's plausible or not. Like, explicit canon or not, if he regularly does motorcycle patrols I find it hard to believe they wouldn't at least paint one blue, even if he doesn't have any tech in it. Think of the merch!
The original chapter describes it only as "souped up", making no other comment either way as to its origins or appearance. Although, Taylor's not in a position to have any reason to think that other than it being a branded cape motorcycle - people don't generally refer to standard-issue law enforcement vehicles as 'souped up' even though objectively, say, cop cars are relative to a normal Crown Vic etc. I could also find no other mention anywhere else in the story of him riding a motorcycle, to be fair, but I don't think we ever get much on his daily routine either way.
I suppose the fact that she doesn't describe it along with his costume and Halberd does cut against it, though. I still don't think either theory can be ruled out entirely, but if it's a motor pool vehicle in your fic that's fine and it's still canon compliant.
As long as I'm searching for canon references for things, I couldn't find the infamous underwear at all. I was looking for a basis to say it either was or could have been just his logo (real life superhero underwear tends to be a mix of either, though I do agree that it's a lot more questionable if the superhero in question actually exists), but now I'm wondering if the whole thing might not be fanon.
It is also, to be fair, unclear if he has a logo - though "Why the hell wouldn't the PR-t require everyone to have a marketable logo" cuts way harder in favor of the assumption that he does than the bike. It's certainly hard to imagine a version of the organization sufficiently merch-obsessed as to make the underwear not bothering with logos. I suppose his logo could itself be a stylized version of his face, as with Spider-Man at times, Deadpool, and Iron Man. But it could also be the halberd.
- Location
- Philippines
So... will there be splitting in the Cauldron or a whistle blower scenario.
well legends day is about to go from bad to worse, anyway thanks for the chapter mister ficser.
Honestly, the way it's set up, Cauldron is too small to split. It's got a huge number of slaves working for it (Mindwiped C53s) and its decisions are largely made by a council but it seems secondary to the direction of Doctor Mother.
So long as their infrastructure remains intact, Cauldron would continue to operate largely the same if it was reduced to Doctor Mother and Contessa, losing Eidolon, Alexandria or Legend wouldn't really change much.
Czlyydwr Llrngwl
"Sell ya a door Learn gull," Czly/Celly for short
- Location
- Where the Beef is
- Pronouns
- Any
But if he did that, he couldn't fix it. Well, there's too much for him to fix, even if he went full time no rest just magical recovery most of the people who'd need it would die of old age before he could get to them, but he's still got plans that need more time and information before he can do them, and people within arm's reach that he can do something for in the mean time.
It's just ... so very tiresome, to see the world stretching out so far past arm's reach, even when the arms are metaphorical and considerably more capable than flesh and blood. Pretty sure Panacea (original/fanon-tinged flavor, not Ward AU megabitch or fandom-waifu woobie) would be mood kindred if either of them were feeling sociable enough to talk about it.
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You know, I thought up this theory, what if Hero's death was part of the path (assuming they had Contessa at that point, if not then ignore) considering how likely PoV is compromised to intentionally F them over, and how it path'd Hero's death to the Siberian so it can more easily manipulate Cauldron into being so comically amoral/stupid, cause Hero was there Compass, pointing them in the right direction, then they lost their direction in the middle of the journey, relying on the very shady yet reasonable man they had to guide them, unknowing that the man sabotaged them and will give them the bare minimum.
"Cauldron was responsible for Harley's fate, trapped in that cabin?!" I guess Legend hadn't put it together yet. Understandable really given how upset he was.
That aside, it occurs to me that, with as many points as he has floating around, Alec could probably turn his vehicle into magically powered mental hospital that helped people overcome trauma in healthy ways at supernatural speeds. Or he could dump a bunch of charges into the hospital he's in with the same effect, which would probably be better in the long run (assuming the PRT didn't condemn the building as a result), but would require slightly more effort. Of course, I'm not sure Alec would be okay with doing that sort of thing as he might consider it mind control.
That aside, it occurs to me that, with as many points as he has floating around, Alec could probably turn his vehicle into magically powered mental hospital that helped people overcome trauma in healthy ways at supernatural speeds. Or he could dump a bunch of charges into the hospital he's in with the same effect, which would probably be better in the long run (assuming the PRT didn't condemn the building as a result), but would require slightly more effort. Of course, I'm not sure Alec would be okay with doing that sort of thing as he might consider it mind control.
Unless I'm misinformed (or misremembering), Hero's death was the result of a Simurgh plot, so I would assume that yes, he would have been a very positive influence on their development.
Lopezelpesado
Space worm best worm.
- Pronouns
- Something
Vrey interested to see the next chapter, I doubt Legend will know why Cauldron decided to try to Kill Alec but hey I can hope 
- Pronouns
- he/him/his
Hell, it would be easy if you're willing to accept any current victims as collateral for saving future ones. Which could be a hard sell, but not for Cauldron or for any military or government that doesn't plan to let the public know said victims were collateral.
It goes like this: One person tracks Mathers down. That person then relays the coordinates, either innocuously or immediately. Pressing a button on a GPS-connected device would work fine. Someone else uncompromised by Mathers exposure receives these coordinates, checks a map to be sure they aren't hitting something important, and calls in a missile strike.
I suppose the hard part is remaining uncompromised long enough to find her without tipping her off.