Rajvik_wolfboy
Wolf amongst the stars.
- Location
- Florida
Nazi chocolate is the only evil chocolate out there, double the calories and only a so-so taste.
as to who would eat it, hey, free chocolate is free chocolate, even if its only so-so
Scaling Up
- Thread starter Kryslin
- Start date
Nazi chocolate is the only evil chocolate out there, double the calories and only a so-so taste.
as to who would eat it, hey, free chocolate is free chocolate, even if its only so-so
Jonn Wolfe
(Verified Sarcastic) (Not a Wolf)
- Location
- Beyond Sanity Since 1971
"That's a lot of fucking pennies."
- Location
- Philippines
Can I have an explanation on what this means, please?
I haven't read Worm proper at all, only what is here at SB and SV.
Rajvik_wolfboy
Wolf amongst the stars.
- Location
- Florida
@bryanfran36
How did another author describe it, ah heres the line:
quite frankly there is little to nothing that is actually realistic in Worm other than the facts that kids can be little shits and teenagers make poor decisions. Wildbow touts this story as a super powered reality, and he fails with it miserably. His Word of God posts and comments most times either retcons or go against what he has specifically written, and then he does things like PRT Quest and Ward which just throws things into a bigger mess of "is this canon, fanon, or bullshit" this is why we have the Worm discussion and recs thread, and why we have the Worm Morality debate thread. because as fans/authors, we end up disagreeing on what should be considered canon or realistic.
How did another author describe it, ah heres the line:
quite frankly there is little to nothing that is actually realistic in Worm other than the facts that kids can be little shits and teenagers make poor decisions. Wildbow touts this story as a super powered reality, and he fails with it miserably. His Word of God posts and comments most times either retcons or go against what he has specifically written, and then he does things like PRT Quest and Ward which just throws things into a bigger mess of "is this canon, fanon, or bullshit" this is why we have the Worm discussion and recs thread, and why we have the Worm Morality debate thread. because as fans/authors, we end up disagreeing on what should be considered canon or realistic.
Kryslin
[Has Delusions of Authorship]
- Location
- Mythic Iowa
Wildbow ignored such things as to how US Labor Unions work, how people in authority are not all corrupt, how nobody, even the protagonists of the story had morals they were willing to compromise, and for retconning things after the story was complete in an inconsistent fashion that invalidated large sections of it. Also for touting things as hard science that's far more fantasy than science.
That's what "Thinking Like Wildbow" means.
I, the author of this story, am not going to completely ignore how 85% of the US actually works in favor of piling on the grim, dark and hopelessness for my story. I'm a member of one of the largest labor unions in the US, I've got police officers for relatives, and have had concerns about my psych records while in the US Navy, especially after I got beaned in the head by a rock from some anti-nuclear protestors on US soil.
In other words, I'm trying to stay consistent from the beginning, I know people in authority can be competent, know their superiors can make bad decisions. If I do make a mistake, I try to explain it in a consistent fashion that doesn't invalidate half the story. If I can't do it, then I start editing to keep things consistent. Scaling Up is 510 pages long as of last night. I have nearly as many pages of notes that I refer to as well, along with a plot outline, to help with trying to keep things consistent.
Neruz
Rogue Spiderbanana
- Location
- The Land of Fire and Poison
Honestly, Wildbow catches a lot of flak for the way things are depicted in Worm, but TBH the most implausible part of the whole story is that he posits a world where superpowered people have existed for decades and the Endbringers are just approaching their 20th year of operation, yet somehow said world still manages to look basically the same as our own except generally shittier and with more people running around doing impossible shit with magical powers.
This is so hilariously ridiculous that literally every other flaw in the setting is frankly irrelevant in comparison, the worst part is that the few instances where things really have genuinely gone differently (Birdcage, Kill Orders, etc) aren't even addressed, explained or even referenced beyond being a thing that exists: How the fuck did they legislate these blatant human rights violations? Wildbow doesn't know, because figuring that out would require doing research and understanding the legal system, so he didn't bother to explain it and just ran with it because GRIMDARK.
Wildbow would catch a lot less flak if he didn't tout Worm as being 'scientific' or whatever when it clearly, blatantly is not even remotely anything of the sort. Which is a shame, because if you take away all the dumb shit like the 'scientific' claim you end up with Worm being a surprisingly well written Lovecraftian Cosmic Horror story disguised as a 'gritty' Superhero story. But for whatever reason Wildbow couldn't bring himself to just call Worm the fantasy setting that it is, which resulted in the many, many dumb Word of God posts he made trying to provide scientific foundations for the obviously magical fantasy nonsense that he was writing, and failing miserably.
With Ward he seems to have abandoned the whole 'scientific' aspect entirely and gone full bore on the Cosmic Horror, not even pretending that the shit he's writing at this point has anything whatsoever to do with how reality works.
Ironically, people seem to hate Ward because of this change, amongst other things, so I guess he just can't win no matter what he does.
If the latter, it's entirely possible that Worm actually accurately represents how he personally views the world, which says more about him as a person than anything else but would also explain a lot.
This is so hilariously ridiculous that literally every other flaw in the setting is frankly irrelevant in comparison, the worst part is that the few instances where things really have genuinely gone differently (Birdcage, Kill Orders, etc) aren't even addressed, explained or even referenced beyond being a thing that exists: How the fuck did they legislate these blatant human rights violations? Wildbow doesn't know, because figuring that out would require doing research and understanding the legal system, so he didn't bother to explain it and just ran with it because GRIMDARK.
Wildbow would catch a lot less flak if he didn't tout Worm as being 'scientific' or whatever when it clearly, blatantly is not even remotely anything of the sort. Which is a shame, because if you take away all the dumb shit like the 'scientific' claim you end up with Worm being a surprisingly well written Lovecraftian Cosmic Horror story disguised as a 'gritty' Superhero story. But for whatever reason Wildbow couldn't bring himself to just call Worm the fantasy setting that it is, which resulted in the many, many dumb Word of God posts he made trying to provide scientific foundations for the obviously magical fantasy nonsense that he was writing, and failing miserably.
With Ward he seems to have abandoned the whole 'scientific' aspect entirely and gone full bore on the Cosmic Horror, not even pretending that the shit he's writing at this point has anything whatsoever to do with how reality works.
Ironically, people seem to hate Ward because of this change, amongst other things, so I guess he just can't win no matter what he does.
Impossible to say really, Wildbow claims that he personally witnessed a situation similar to the 'locker incident' in reality for example, but that claim holds very little water for many, many reasons, not the least of which being the complete and total failure of any kind of official response to what was effectively a bioterrorist attack on a secondary school. So either Wildbow is full of shit and lying to cover his ass, or he has a very strange definition of 'similar'.
If the latter, it's entirely possible that Worm actually accurately represents how he personally views the world, which says more about him as a person than anything else but would also explain a lot.
Last edited:
Alternatively, steel washers. Roughly coin sized and shaped, fairly cheap per volume, and made of a relatively durable material.
FaerieKnight79
Verified Pixie
- Location
- The Internet
The fate of Browbeat is just one of many examples of Wildbow's inconsistency. The character was introduced during the Bank Heist, only for Wildbow to forget he even exists. When he finally remembered the character exists, he killed Browbeat off camera in the Noelle fight, only mentioning this fact in a PHO post listing the casualties. Since then Browbeat's fate has changed to "killed by Leviathan", "died fighting Scion", "survived Golden Morning", and I have no idea what Browbeat's current official status is. Wildbow changes it on a whim to spite his fans asking about the character's fate.
Note that there is nothing wrong with Science Fantasy. In fact, if you're writing a story involving superheroes and villain you are writing science fantasy. You can use technobabble to try giving psudo-scientific explanations for the powers, but they are a fantasy element that do not work in any scientific way. Writing Science Fantasy and trying to provide in-universe scientific explanations for powers is fine. But as was mentioned, it's his inconsistency that is the biggest issue. And that inconsistency drags everything down.
EDIT: I personally don't use plot outlines very often. I might write one for a specific scene, but overall I just wing it. However I regularly re-read what I've written to remind myself what has happened. This way I don't contradict myself in later chapters. If I did introduce an inconsistency, I'll either edit the chapter(s) in question or write a chapter which helps to explain the seeming inconsistency. I also keep extensive notes using Realm Works. These notes are for everything from powers, personality, and history of a specific character to events going on concurrently with the story that are occurring off camera. Major events in the past, important laws (and how they came about), and relationships between various characters and organizations are all tracked with these notes.
Note that there is nothing wrong with Science Fantasy. In fact, if you're writing a story involving superheroes and villain you are writing science fantasy. You can use technobabble to try giving psudo-scientific explanations for the powers, but they are a fantasy element that do not work in any scientific way. Writing Science Fantasy and trying to provide in-universe scientific explanations for powers is fine. But as was mentioned, it's his inconsistency that is the biggest issue. And that inconsistency drags everything down.
EDIT: I personally don't use plot outlines very often. I might write one for a specific scene, but overall I just wing it. However I regularly re-read what I've written to remind myself what has happened. This way I don't contradict myself in later chapters. If I did introduce an inconsistency, I'll either edit the chapter(s) in question or write a chapter which helps to explain the seeming inconsistency. I also keep extensive notes using Realm Works. These notes are for everything from powers, personality, and history of a specific character to events going on concurrently with the story that are occurring off camera. Major events in the past, important laws (and how they came about), and relationships between various characters and organizations are all tracked with these notes.
Last edited:
It was the 80's man! A bygone age when guns never ran out of ammunition, the bad guys never took cover, and no one had ever heard of computer-generated imagery.
- Location
- In My Parlour like a Good Arachne
- Pronouns
- She, her
At least he is semi consistent in making his inconsistencies right?
Back to Dragons will we be able to get a Shadow Dragon Dragon?
Back to Dragons will we be able to get a Shadow Dragon Dragon?
FaerieKnight79
Verified Pixie
- Location
- The Internet
- Location
- In My Parlour like a Good Arachne
- Pronouns
- She, her
I am pretty sure they used CGI in the Original Predator Film which I think was mid to late 80's also likely used in Terminator as well.
- Location
- Deep in the Badlands of Equestria
Could work, though if I remember the earlier discussion about her hoard correctly, the softer metals are preferred because they do a better job acting like fine-grit polishing paper and won't "pull" any scale that isn't completely ready to be replaced. Steel washers might be just a bit too hard on things.
Jonn Wolfe
(Verified Sarcastic) (Not a Wolf)
- Location
- Beyond Sanity Since 1971
This and his hatred of the idea of Telepathy is why I love reading/writing fanfics that have the main protagonist being Telepathic, or otherwise break the standard. *flips the finger at WB*
In that case, low-grade aluminum might not be a bad choice either, especially if it's relatively thin pieces.
Neruz
Rogue Spiderbanana
- Location
- The Land of Fire and Poison
Ah, the 80s. What a time to be alive.
If you want to know about the 80s, here is a half hour movie that is definitely a 100% historically accurate representation of what the 80s were like; I have checked with multiple people who were alive during the 80s and they have all confirmed that this movie is indeed true to the reality of the era, because the 80s were just that unhinged.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: The 80s.
They'd be fine for Steel, Mithril, Adamantine (etc) Dragons, but yes would not work for 'softer' metallic dragons.
Last edited:
Jonn Wolfe
(Verified Sarcastic) (Not a Wolf)
- Location
- Beyond Sanity Since 1971
Can't remember the name of it, but there was one or two where Browbeat's Civilian ID was actually Madison Clements, which I find hilarious.
Shame that BB got strangered so much. Then again, he has the perfect powerset, if it was written decently. Think of it, he's basically a Metamorphmagus version of Conner Kent, with his touch based telekinesis. If done right, he'd be a Stranger/Brute, flying brick type character. Guess WB was too hung up on Victoria though.
[Edit] Oh, dear Christ. David Hasslehoff's singing career. Still confuses me how he is considered awesome in Germany.
Last edited:
Neruz
Rogue Spiderbanana
- Location
- The Land of Fire and Poison
Browbeat being Madison is a common piece of fanon that has no foundation in canon, but is very popular in the fandom because, as you said, it is hilarious.
Steelhooves
Star Paladin
- Location
- Maripony-Damn it.
i hope this is not a stupid question, but has their been any dragons in this setting out of the Epic Bestiary? Dragons like Cometary? Polychromatic? I only ask because reading this story reminded me that I had the book and felt a desire to dig it out and browse.
A Bismuth Dragon
Kryslin
[Has Delusions of Authorship]
- Location
- Mythic Iowa
Ok, after having thought about it, I decided to take a stab at it.
Bismuth Dragons are large, heavy dragons. Despite their bulk they actually move quite well, and while they are slow fliers, they are also quite maneuverable in the air.
They start off with an almost fluid silvery grey hide when they hatched, which becomes rainbow colored crystals as the age. No two bismuth dragons have the same patterning of crystals, though similarities may persist through family lines.
They are immune to damage from any weapon that contains iron or steel; their body passively pushes such away from them. No one wearing any armor containing iron or steel can get within 20' of them. Keep in mind that most magical weapons have some iron or steel content; the higher the enhancement, the less likely there is any iron or steel in the weapon. Because of that, in combat, they tend to target wizards, sorcerors, and druids first. Magic affects them normally, unless the spell creates something with iron. There are many humorous stories about spellcasters using a Wall of Iron to protect themselves from the charge of a Bismuth Dragon, only to be pancaked by their wall being pushed over by the dragon's passive Repulsion.
Bismuth Dragons breath weapon is a cloud of burning hot thick white smoke. Dex save to avoid taking damage, and a Con save is also required to avoid the toxic effects; If failed, the targets are effectively paralyzed by muscle spasms. This lasts for 6 rounds, or until the characters thus affected can get some fresh, clear air. Their weakness is fire.
They are neutrally aligned, though some are good and some are evil. They tend to be solitary creatures, and have very even tempers. They would prefer to talk first before charging into combat, hoping to defuse the situation, or at least discern the motives of those who have intruded on its lair.
Magically speaking, Bismuth dragons specialize in transmutation; they can cast any divine spell that is a transmutation spell as if it were an arcane spell. Some are known for their alchemical prowess.
I will leave the actual stats up to the reader. I'm thinking between Coppers and Bronzes, though nearly as heavy as Gold dragons.
=-=-=-=-=-=
Bismuth is a soft, heavy metal with a low melting point. It is also one of the most diamagnetic metals out there. Like most oxidized metalloid compounds, inhlation is not a good idea, which can cause some severe cases of spasms, and in the long term, heavy metal poisoning. It's not very reactive, though. I'd have to go back through some of my old medieval books, but I remember bismuth having some alchemical significance as well.
So, you get a dragon that has a passive Repulsion effect on it, that breathes a cloud of metallic oxide smoke for it's breath weapon, that is much heavier than it's size would suggest (and also stronger), tends to think first rather than react, specializes in transmutation magic, and may brew it's own potions (and thus Use Them). They may be capable of assuming other forms, but not until later in life.
Bismuth Dragons are large, heavy dragons. Despite their bulk they actually move quite well, and while they are slow fliers, they are also quite maneuverable in the air.
They start off with an almost fluid silvery grey hide when they hatched, which becomes rainbow colored crystals as the age. No two bismuth dragons have the same patterning of crystals, though similarities may persist through family lines.
They are immune to damage from any weapon that contains iron or steel; their body passively pushes such away from them. No one wearing any armor containing iron or steel can get within 20' of them. Keep in mind that most magical weapons have some iron or steel content; the higher the enhancement, the less likely there is any iron or steel in the weapon. Because of that, in combat, they tend to target wizards, sorcerors, and druids first. Magic affects them normally, unless the spell creates something with iron. There are many humorous stories about spellcasters using a Wall of Iron to protect themselves from the charge of a Bismuth Dragon, only to be pancaked by their wall being pushed over by the dragon's passive Repulsion.
Bismuth Dragons breath weapon is a cloud of burning hot thick white smoke. Dex save to avoid taking damage, and a Con save is also required to avoid the toxic effects; If failed, the targets are effectively paralyzed by muscle spasms. This lasts for 6 rounds, or until the characters thus affected can get some fresh, clear air. Their weakness is fire.
They are neutrally aligned, though some are good and some are evil. They tend to be solitary creatures, and have very even tempers. They would prefer to talk first before charging into combat, hoping to defuse the situation, or at least discern the motives of those who have intruded on its lair.
Magically speaking, Bismuth dragons specialize in transmutation; they can cast any divine spell that is a transmutation spell as if it were an arcane spell. Some are known for their alchemical prowess.
I will leave the actual stats up to the reader. I'm thinking between Coppers and Bronzes, though nearly as heavy as Gold dragons.
=-=-=-=-=-=
Bismuth is a soft, heavy metal with a low melting point. It is also one of the most diamagnetic metals out there. Like most oxidized metalloid compounds, inhlation is not a good idea, which can cause some severe cases of spasms, and in the long term, heavy metal poisoning. It's not very reactive, though. I'd have to go back through some of my old medieval books, but I remember bismuth having some alchemical significance as well.
So, you get a dragon that has a passive Repulsion effect on it, that breathes a cloud of metallic oxide smoke for it's breath weapon, that is much heavier than it's size would suggest (and also stronger), tends to think first rather than react, specializes in transmutation magic, and may brew it's own potions (and thus Use Them). They may be capable of assuming other forms, but not until later in life.
Neruz
Rogue Spiderbanana
- Location
- The Land of Fire and Poison
The 80s is how that happened.
I give kudos to everyone who wrote a Worm/Lyrical Nanoha crossover, on any site. Because telepathy, through actual magic, is so common in Nanoha that it's like the ultimate middle finger to Wildbow.
Itsune
Eldritch horror, Ship's Cat, Emergency Gunner.
- Location
- Somewhere in King County Washington
From the Predator Wiki
R/Greenberg Associates created the film's optical effects, including the alien's ability to become invisible, its thermal vision point of view, its glowing blood, and the electrical spark effects.[15]
The invisibility effect was achieved by having someone wearing a bright red suit (because it was the farthest opposite of the green of the jungle and the blue of the sky) the size of the Predator. The red was removed with chroma key techniques, leaving an empty area. The take was then repeated without the actors using a 30% wider lens on the camera. When the two takes were combined optically, the jungle from the second take filled in the empty area. Because the second take was filmed with a wider lens, a vague outline of the alien could be seen with the background scenery bending around its shape.[15]
For the thermal vision, infrared film could not be used because it did not register in the range of body temperature wavelengths. The filmmakers used an Inframetrics thermal video scanner because it gave good heat images of objects and people.[15] The glowing blood was achieved by green liquid from glow sticks mixed with personal lubricant for texture.[15] The electrical sparks were rotoscoped animation using white paper pins registered on portable light tables to black-and-white prints of the film frames. The drawings were composited by the optical crew for the finished effects.[15] Additional visual effects, mainly for the opening title sequence of the Predator arriving on Earth, were supplied by Dream Quest Images (later Oscar-winners for their work on The Abyss and Total Recall). The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.[16]
So some CGI but not all. Which actually makes it a better movie Effect wise....
Some