I'd like to see reactions from the Undersiders next. Where exactly do they fit in with her rebranding...?

 

What the hell is going on? Things got... better?

Is this really Worm?

 

While I'll be sad to see less of the Undersiders, it'll be interesting to see Skitter's Weaver's powers interacting with new capes. Her intellectual style of fighting thrives on combos, so I hope she gets comboriffic teammates to bounce ideas off of.

 

Umm, who says they're going anywhere? I didn't get that impression. If anything, I see this as things going back to how they were, except with Skitter making her actions sanctioned? And the probability that she'll be fighting alongside heroes, rogues and villains.

I suppose they could see her speech as a betrayal, once the dust settles, and refuse to work with her, but I doubt that...?

 

I'm excited to see where this is going. I like the name Weaver... I'm probably still going to call her Skitter in my head, though.

Maybe the most exciting implication of it all: Skitter now has access to tinkers.

 

Defiant's last line:

“You know you can’t stay here. There’s a conflict of-”

She's leaving BB. Wouldn't work out otherwise.

Is it just me, or did Taylor get everything she wanted?

She saved the day by taking out the big bad Alexandria and her stooge Tagg, both of whom were corrupted by the Simurgh. She got MM put in charge in BB. She got amnesty for the Undersiders. Cut ties. And she's probably going to get off Scot-free because now she's going to have a whole arsenal of heroes willing to testify on her behalf.

She's a motherfucking super-hero among super-heroes. Now I just want to see how Legend and Eidolon interact with her in the future, knowing that she basically staged this whole clusterfuck of killing Alexandria and then getting everyone on board to drag her name through the mud. They must be feeling like even worse shit by association now than they did even after Echidna.

 

I'm not so sure that I like this development. Taylor/Skitter/Weaver can't fight for the "new" PRT and go to jail at the same time. On the other hand, the courts can't just give her a slap on the wrist, because she's a well known criminal who should face twenty years to life for her deeds.

So, do they just set up a kangeroo court and let her go with "community work" (=being a Protectorate hero)?

 

I'm just glad she finally gets tinkers. I'd love to see what she'll be able to do with access to all of the resources of the PRT. Also Howdy I think you're right, they're going to move her but I'm not really sure where to.

 

Its stated quite explicitly that neither Tagg nor Alexandria were corrupted by the Simurgh.

 

Unreliable narrators. People believe that Alexandria is immune/resistant to the Simurgh's influence. At least according to Wildbow.

 

She's still a minor. How many of her crimes can be proven in a court of law anyway?
The first crimes were committed while she was still 15 years old. She's also a white girl. She was influenced by hardened criminals into that way of life, etc.

I have no idea what American courts usually do in these kinds of circumstances. (If you imagine the situation without any superpowers.)

 

This new development is...disappointing, in some ways. They came out and said "Alexandria was a traitor" without going into detail about Cauldron. Do they really expect everyone to buy that? Where's the proof when someone asks what exactly was it that Alexandria betrayed? Conveniently, it will be classified, I guess.

Oh, and I really really don't like the fact that no Undersider is dead. It makes the entire Skitter kills Alexandria plotline look weak. Yeah sure, fans are gonna justify it with a whole lot of "No, Alexandria underestimated Skitter, put psychological pressure on her, played mind games" etc, but I don't like that idea. Hinting at a character death with such a big gambit going on, then retracting it, and saying it was all just a cheap ploy to get Skitter to cooperate just feels lame.


I wanted Rachel dead, damnit.

 

Imma smack you.

 

The betrayal they were talking about wasn't about cauldron, it was about how Alexandria had been compromised by the Simurgh and the fact that they were willing to kill someone that important only makes the lie more credible.

 

Fair enough, but what will they present as evidence of that Betrayal? That Alexandria ordered Taylor's arrest in a public school, was willing to cooperate with the Dragonsworn? That's not enough to justify her death. Anything else she did was in collusion with Cauldron.

 

The author has always been afraid of damaging the main characters in any real way, so sadly not surprised there.

I do hope Alexandria is really dead though, as it's bad enough Grue survived, but having Alexandria ALSO surviving would push my bulshit meter past the point of no return.

 

People do know that a lot of heroes have been leaving the PRT and now they know the reason, that coupled with the paronia about Simurgh's effect on people, I don't think a lot of people will be clamoring for proof.

Plus, they could always say that divulging evidence, would in a way continue Simurgh's plan.

Though I agree, if ever there was a perfect moment to expose Cauldron it was then, as everyone would have seen it and they wouldn't be able to contain the news.

 

I'll be honest that is Alexandria was quick - and she can be - she probably wouldn't have any trouble taking out any of the Undersiders non-lethally. They don't really have any defense against someone who can judge where you are from the outside, plough through the walls, grab you, knock you unconscious and be gone within a few seconds.

If that much is true, then I wouldn't feel that anyone, at all, dying is realistic. It goes without saying that, awesome though it is, I find Alexandria's death quite unbelievable.

 

Hmm, maybe the answer lies in that video tape? If Tattletale were to look at it, which she might if she can convince SKitter's lawyer to give it to her, she could probably reason out whether Alexandria is really dead and the exact reasoning behind her death? I'd like that, if wildbow could provide such a scene, sometime.

I guess it does make sense for Skitter to leave. If the Endbringers never attack the same place twice, I guess it was destined for her to leave the city at some point. It'll be interesting to see how Simurgh corrupts people and whether Skitter herself has to endure resisting that corruption.

It'd odd though. The Undersiders have been the focus for almost the entire story, and we're just going to walk away from them? It seems like he's tied up most of the loose ends with them, but it does feel odd that they'll be sidelined for what I imagine to be a long time.

 

This isn't really what I wanted to happen...but it makes sense that this was the direction Skitter (and she'll never be Weaver in my books) would end up going. I'm not happy by any stretch (especially with the lack of character death right now), and I really don't know how I feel about Skitter hero-ing up.

Part of what makes Skitter someone that you can root for is the fact that she is (or was) on the other side of a pretty messed up system. I think we all like the idea of the outlaw. Hopefully that isn't something which is lost during this transition.

I feel like Skitter probably has just as many enemies in the Protectorate as she does (sort of) allies. She might even end up teamed with Clockblocker or D&D. I mean, Echidna right? That was pretty amazing.