If I remember correctly, Wildbow said that this arc would focus on different perspectives through the media.

 

That's an interesting decision. I suppose I approve - I think I'd be tired of one perspective for an arc again, getting a lot for an arc isn't bad at all. That means he can still keep us updated on Skitter while exploring other integral threads. And I do like how he does the wiki/chat/forum interaction, even if it feels... Well, it's a 'literary technique' that seems cheap to me, but I can't blame him for doing it, nor can I really decide whether it's a negative or a positive.

 

Just the same sort of style as Bram Stoker used in Dracula but updated to the modern era with internet chat rooms instead of letters and ships logs. It's not a cheap technique at all, in my opinion, if it works and I believe it has. Emphasis on opinion; you're entitled to your own and all that jazz.

 

Yes, but I only consider it cheap because chat logs are so... chatty. A letter or a ship log can be eloquent and have another layer to it. That's all I mean, really. A chat log will be bereft of a lot of detail and organization. I've tried writing stories with chat logs in them and always felt silly doing it.

 

It was implied that Echidna either got no "Balance" in her half-dose, or possibly a very small amount, while Oliver got almost all "Balance" in the other half of that bottle (maybe the stuff doesn't mix well?) What really isn't clear is why Cauldron doesn't still spam imbalanced potions anyway, and just get rid of the failures.

 

I find it really hard to equate the Cauldron Kool-aid with Italian dressing. Can we just agree that something went wrong with Echidna instead of trying to parse how long you have to shake it before you take a dose?

 

The issue with Echidna was that she took half a dose AND her preexisting mental problems screwed with the process. That's why Cauldron customers were encouraged to undergo counseling and testing before the process.

 

I wonder if it's the case that Cauldron can only turn people into capes who already possess a capacity for a trigger event. If Skitter had taken a drink, would she transform into a giant bug or something, instead of her current power?

 

Anyone can take their formula and trigger. Legend specifically says at one point that he should have triggered, but didn't. There's no such thing as the Cauldron formula being a dud. The question is does it kill you, deform you, or are you one of the lucky few?

Or rich. I forgot rich.

 

Howdy, according to the comments of the latest chapter, you're supposed to be referenced as 'Aloha' in the IRC chat of this chapter? lol it does make sense 'howdy' is "Hello" or "aloha" - are you one to make too many smilies?

Anyway, you MIGHT be famous now!

 

To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about being the emoticon guy since I try to keep it pretty low key, but I suppose I do throw a few of those out there from time to time.

 

In regards to power levels, the way I saw it, the reason why the older capes always seemed stronger, is simply due to the fact that know how to use their powers better because they simply have more experience with using them. And I'm pretty sure that was the whole point of the Wards, to allow the young capes to get that kiind of experience but still having the safety net of the rest of the capes for when shit got too serious.

 

I assume they would get a bad reputation from their customers if they did that.
They're not going to dose their paying customers with high-risk formula.
I'm guessing the people they abduct and experiment on aren't too happy about it and are removed, even when the formula was successful.

So the only candidates are people on deaths door or with nothing left to lose, who would take the high-risk formula.
Maybe it has become too dangerous to recruit those now? It might create too much attention now, when people are on the lookout for them.


What's more surprising to me, is that healers on Panaceas level seem to be incredibly rare or not even exist. (Was there no one to heal Chevalier?)
Panacea should have been treated as an extremely valuable national asset then. She should have gotten an army of the best therapists available at the first inkling of any instability. She should have been protected far better that she actually was, etc.


Crushed Arc was pretty awesome. I was pretty sad that Regent died. I know he was a sociopath, but he was also still pretty young and had an incredibly damaged childhood. I felt for him.
I hope we get some new comic relief.

So we're getting another bridge arc now? Didn't we just have one of those right before Behemoth?

Taylor will get punished some, for her behavior in the video. It seems unfair from her perspective and therefore from ours too, but it might be unavoidable. Even if she did the right thing in every situation. Even if they agree with her, they might only be able to soften the punishment.
Some things just can't be allowed "officially", no matter how appropriate it is in the moment.
Compare to something like shooting a passenger plane out of the sky during a possible terrorist attack. It might be the 'right' thing to do, but you still might not want to put it into law as "okay to do". It creates a difference between "this is just our standard reaction" to "this is a last resort".

 

Healing seems fairly common. I can name a few other than Panacea. Othala, Lizardtail, Scapegoat, Eidolon, Bonesaw (lol), Scion, Carnal. Chev had some treatment, but he wasn't fully fixed. What Panacea had though (which was a lot more than just healing), I expect is incredibly rare.

 

All this talk of healing makes me wonder if anyone available can get Wanton's arm back. From the tone surrounding the injury, I'm thinking the answer is no (Though I would think that Scapegoat might able to do it, if he could pass the missing arm off on some sucker).

 

Panacea's power wasn't healing. It was complete control over the target's body, human or otherwise. I'd put that up near Labyrinth in terms of sheer power the ability has. Hell, I'd bet Nilbog has a similar power given he can create new lifeforms.

 

Imagine Panacea grows a brain and figures out a few ways to work in the field... NiIlbog might not be so much of a threat to her if she had enough support.

 

Yeah Panacea is an incredible threat with the exception that she's relatively vulnerable. She can't affect herself with her own power but she is immune to diseases.

 

I was thinking - what if Panacea gets over her fear of brain-manipulation? Could she heal Alexandria? What would that mean for Pretender?

 

I would suspect Alexandria is immune to Panacea's power, but Eidolon managed to heal her some, so I don't know.

I have a suspicion that Panacea manipulating brains might become really important when the passengers start "waking up".