It would appear that once a Gray Zone is started, it doesn't need further input from Gray Boy to keep running. He seems to have a large amount of control over how the metaphysics inside a Zone work (messing with the loop time, torturing people inside it), and probably can dispel one if he wants, but the continual resetting affect and the forcewall separating it from the rest of the world seem to be stable self sustaining effects.

 

So who thinks that Foil's power has the minor effect of disrupting other powers, Hatchet Face-style? It would be enough to take Gray Boy out because there'd be the momentary loss of contact between Passenger and host, which should be enough to prevent him from resetting.

Also, I read it as Gray Boy's power shutting down, but that Jack was incapacitated by the loops of torture he'd been put through.

 

I don't think Foil has a minor disruption effect. Her projectiles are unaffected by anything-- powers, gravity, air resistance, friction, etc. until that effect runs out.

Basically they're mini-Siberian projectiles that are time-limited. That's how I think of them.

Edit:

Speculation on my part 'cause I'm bored:
Any attempts to free Scion will rely on either Foil or Clockblocker.

I think that they're the only capes who've demonstrated a conceptual attack that could maybe bypass the Gray zones. I doubt Clockblocker will because his power won't allow him to push through the time loop. If something was connected to the outside and he froze it I could see some success but as is I think Foil might have a chance.

However, Foil's darts earlier on were disrupted by Gray Boy (the first time she attacks him.) So maybe that's not gonna work either. Phir Se, if he's not dead, might be able to do something. Eidolon might pull something out of his powerset that'd work, but his failure in disrupting Khonsu's time-field I think renders that unlikely. If Leet was told to make a machine to break the loop, he probably could, since he can do anything once, apparently. I don't see any other options.

All in all, I think its unlikely anyone will manage to break anyone out of the loops. Maybe Scion will break out on his own. That's the sum of my thoughts on that.

 

You basically elaborated on what I was talking about there. If a power ignores other powers, it has a minor nullification effect.

 

Oh, I thought you meant it actually nullified powers in a certain radius or something. Maybe its a minor Trump classification (through ignoring other powers), but I'd put it as more of a Breaker classification since it ignores natural, non-cape obstacles as well.

 

Despite this, Gray Boy was able to loop Foil's projectiles (but not after actually being hit). Bets are Gray Zones affect the Siberian too, then? Would effectively cripple the Manton since he only seems able to support one Siberian at a time.

 

I still don't get what Golem figured out about Jack's secondary power, that is his passenger.

Any one have any idea?

 

Something to do with how Jack and his passenger are so connected, I think. What I gathered was that he was able to subconsciously (?) predict the actions of anyone with powers. It's why he was able to manipulate everyone in the S9 so well and survive against the Protectorate for years, despite not having an amazingly strong power.

That's why the random PRT officer in the Dragon's Tooth suit was able to trip Jack up - he could see every move coming from every cape there, but not what the normal guy was going to do. So he wasn't able to preemptively stop Grey Boy's betrayal.

 

As sad as it is this is the plan I see with the highest chance of success for freeing Scion. What makes me particularly optimistic is Leet's Skitter machine, which did a brute job of mimicking Taylor's Master effect (without her Thinker effect to control it): nothing we've seen sort of Echidna clones has done that. The PRT needs to go on a quest to dig Leet out of whatever hole he's hiding in (hopefully he isn't dead).

 

Thought GB's field ended with his death because while they were trapping Jack, Tecton heard him say something. And I don't think he was saying anything when he got caught.

 

...
You know it always amazes me how people can see the same scene in so different ways.

What I took from the scene is that since Jack wasn't moving and was only murmuring clearly he was still stuck in a loop since otherwise he would have done something.

Oh well, wildbow didn't really answer the question either(at least that I saw) so we will have to wait since your interpretation does make sense...

 

oh dear god, scion just went rougue

 

Wow. World ends because Scion goes rogue.

I wonder how any precogs saw that coming if Scion was the linchpin behind it all?

I guess they can see some results but not specifics if he's involved.


Crazy chapter. The description of the entities was quite abstract but I guess that fits.

 

This explains why Jack Slash's survival two years ago accelerated the End of the World but didn't directly cause it. Scion was going to reach this conclusion eventually, one way or the other, Jack just helped him along the way.

And I know it probably wasn't possible, but if Golem had just saved two more questions or so they might have stopped it. Does anyone think Dinah killed herself with backlash? The lack of any response from her after the last question was disquieting.

 

I had a hunch this was going to be the event, but I guess I'm disappointed. I was expecting something a bit crazier than this after that whole, "We've saved the world once already" stuff, but maybe that's still to come.

 

Okay, that explains Scion and why he's so powerful. Now what about the endbringers? Are they the discarded shells of the other Entity? I doubt it. I did notice that in that interlude Scion never went over his attacks against the endbringers. Unless I missed something.

I did catch a hint that one of the Cauldron people had a passenger not from Scion or his partner. A female if I recall. Doctor Mother maybe? Or Contessa? What exactly does that imply or mean? That the Entity the original two Entities encountered is out there fucking with them? Or interfering in some way?

And I do remember in early chapters, when people triggered, they sometimes saw two Entities spiraling outward and inward, sometimes one, and sometimes three? How do all those fit together if all the passengers/shards came from the same two Entities?

And maybe Taylor smelling different to Echidna was because her and Eidolon didn't have second triggers, but because both of their shards had matured enough to produce their own shard. Taylor's went into that kid, I'm not sure who could gotten Eidolon's, though it might explain why he has been losing some of his power recently.

AH! I love how we get one huge major revelation and we're left with like a dozen more unanswered questions.

Good show, Wildblow, good show.

 

Yeah, I was thinking that the other cape with the Number Man was just Contessa.

The further along this story goes, the less animosity I feel toward Cauldron.

 

That was fucking crazy, so bizarre I can't really describe my thoughts right now. Will go to sleep and maybe have more luck tomorrow.

 

So, the Wormverse is actually about creatures worming their way into other realities and planets. Through wormholes, perhaps.

Did Scion just wipe out Britain? And now he's on the way to the east coast of North America, which I think includes Brockton Bay.

Evacuating peeps to another world might not have any point when the Entity can jump realities anyway.

 

That was pretty insane. I'm so glad to finally get some answers about the passengers and powers, and I think Wildbow did an amazing job foreshadowing all of that.

Now I want to know what the Endbringers are more than anything. I think it would be pretty awesome if it turned out in the end that they were the good guys somehow - I don't really see any other way they could take out Scion. Cauldron's remark about already having saved the world once becomes a lot more confusing too.

Also, doesn't this kind of suggest that there was no point to Saint killing Dragon, seeing as how the end of the world is tied to the passengers/Scion?