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Notes -
So what are you reading?
Got two more sections of Capital to finish, which I will be very glad to be done with. Hoping to write up an effort post here and on my blog after I finish. I think it will generate an interesting discussion not only because Marx presents a convincing critique of capitalism (although I think his central premise of the labor theory of value is wrong, or at least incomplete) but also because it's been illuminating to see how the leftist group I've been reading it with has gone from worshiping Marx to understanding him as the flawed, snarky philosopher that he is.
Also planning on finishing up Outlive by Peter Attia today. Also going to write-up an effort post on this for Wellness Wednesday. Think it's a fantastic book, but I disagree slightly with his prescriptions and want to add a few of my own.
Also working on Harry Potter 7 in Italian.
I'm committing to finishing up my first read of Wildbow's Worm, and I am up to the point where Taylor becomes Weaver.
[Spoilers]
Okay, I think I hit my limit of disbelief on "actually, insect control is OP" writing. You have one of the most overall indestructible Capes, who is also a tactical genius w/photographic memory on top of it, and she's somehow not able to defend against "insects jammed into your mouth" attack.
A tactic that Taylor has used ample times anyway.
I accept the premise that getting foreign matter lodged in her lungs (or drowning) would be a killing stroke, I accept that Alexandria was trying to goad this precise reaction from her... but its both hard to believe that Alexandria wouldn't think of "close your mouth and nose" as a defense, or that standard-issue bugs would actually be able to force themselves down her airway.
I was barely hanging on as Taylor is using bugs to dial telephones and manipulate the wiring in the walls to get doors opened, but "I stuffed her lungs full of roaches and spiders" was seemingly a different level entirely.
It works for the plot, and I'll keep reading, but that was the first time I groaned at Taylor being able to punch far above her nominal weight class through creative insect usage. It didn't even have the 'rule of cool' justification like when she's in a drawn out fight.
[/Spoilers]
Still beats most mainstream stories that are out these days.
(Spoilers) I think the canonical/fanonical explanation is that Alexandria totally didn't see it coming because she was expecting Taylor to micro-react before flipping out and murdering everything. Taylor offloads her emotions into the swarm, so from Alexandria's perspective it went from "Taylor's perfectly chill, I need to push harder" to "I'm drowning in bugs" in the amount of time it takes for bugs to deploy from the ceiling. Agree it's weird that she hasn't died from this weakness earlier (Leviathan certainly tried), but accepting that she didn't have time to react, I could totally see her ingesting enough bugs in the first instant before she closes her mouth for it to be fatal. I don't think she's got microcontrol over her body to be able to expel the bugs from her airways or anything like that so once the bugs are in she's probably screwed.
Having said that she could totally have [spoilers for later arcs] to escape but I imagine she wasn't quite thinking rationally at the time.
Well, that and she wasn't present in the room to see Taylor's reaction to the body bag, might have had a couple seconds warning.
And hey, props to both Alexandria and Tagg for pulling off a convincing enough act. I was half expecting Taylor to cling to the possibility that it was someone else who was dead, rather than reasoning herself into it being one of her friends.
Still, a full flock of insects bee-lining (heh) for your face is going to give you enough warning to clamp your jaw shut and try to cover your nose.
And if she is indeed vulnerable in this way, the way I would go about trying to kill her (which I literally thought of just now) would be getting a shot of Containment foam down her throat. Yes I know its breathable, I'm saying it would probable seal the protective flap shut when it expanded.
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