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Let's talk about 272. (spoilers) (Patreon)

Published:
2024-04-23 21:15:43
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

Okay, so for a long time now, I've been trying to nudge Solaris and Perry into conflict, and took a huge step forward towards that end today.Insomuch as it's still 'Solaris' I guess.The 3 primary concerns as they were relayed to me in the comments were: #1 It seemed rushed. #2 a deus ex that she got her hands on the serum at all/got past security.#3 Wasted previous chaptersI'm going to try to spend tomorrow massaging the chapter and adding more context around how Truthslayer got him alone, why security around him might not have been tighter, and how she acquired the serum.But it's still probably going to play out similarly, because that was always my intention, leaving me stressed about how I can address issue #3.I've had 2 different ways Solaris can go off the deep end in my head the entire time I've been writing, and today I picked one:#1: Solaris wins the fight with the mimic, goes crazy assuming if his Grandaughter was turned then everyone must be and starts vaporizing everyone.#2 Solaris loses the fight and gets turned into a mimic and proceeds to convert the majority of the high level heroes of Franklin City.I picked #2 because I have a way in mind to...put everything back to normal...more or less. There will still be a big fight and lots of ass kicking (hopefully), but things CAN be turned around based on things that have been established in the last eight chapters...I think.So I'm hoping you'll give me the benefit of the doubt and let me take us on this trip.All that being said, any ideas of things I could add/alter to help address issue #1 and #2 would be tremendously helpful.I think #3 will sort itself out as things progress.My current plan is to add a vignette added to the beginning of 272 that details a bit of how Truthslayer got the serum, and the reasoning of why security around Solaris is light. (It's because they don't trust anything to not be a mimic and are mostly relying on security through obscurity.)As always, I'm happy to hear what you guys have to say.

Comments

austin kutz

I'm just here to be the first one to predict that Perry killing the Solaris mimic will produce enough experience for Perry to straight up reverse time

Gaunt

I thought it worked well enough but i appear to be in the minority. As the youth say "Hold up, let the man cook."

Matt R.

Mad respect for the quick response, and it was pretty well thought out too. I think it would make more sense for Solaris to win the fight, lose his mind, and assume she was a mimic so everyone has to be. IMO it makes more sense, cuz mimic Solaris would just be game over, no?

PlasmaticPi

Honestly aside from the security thing I thought the chapter was fine. Its the end of the series, everything from the previous chapters is still going to matter once the venom is paradoxxed and mixed with what's his names power to be himself, and honestly its been said for a long time now that most people are going to die so people who complain about it have no one but themselves to blame.

Paratus

I liked it. And I mean, it's kind of Perry's fault if there are so many syringes out there with the curse since he made so many as backups.

Joseph Snyder

Yeah.... no. I think you have an issue when you try to end series you prefer to go out with a bang instead of a whimper. You have pacing issues. I don't know if wake of the ravager is finished as a published series, but I do know I will not buy a book in the series past the third one. It was awful. This one will cause similar issues at this rate. The entire point of Solaris being healed was pointless. It wasn't a twist ending it was a cop out. It makes the audience feel cheated. Hell it would be a better ending for Solaris that he kills himself being unable to live with all the years missing and the mimic eats him and makes the clone. I mean the mimic escaping in this way feels a little lazy too almost rushed, I overlooked that because it wasn't onerous. Yet the mimic killing truthslayer? Then truthslayer tricking Solaris. Makes the last arc feel...... rushed? Lazy? I dunno. Take my word with a grain of salt. I'm fairly critical of writing, especially when an author shows great ability and skill on earlier books, then falls short just before the finish line.

Apotheosis

The chapter itself I loved, but the mimic being able to get to truthslayer (who one would think would be under immense security) and being able to get the stuff to Solaris definitely needs to be explained. Besides that though I kinda think it'd be better to have Solaris go insane rather then become a mimic, since why wouldn't mimic Solaris just convert every human in the city/america/earth in like... a minute. It could he something like "granddaughter's dead so I don't care anymore" + "I can't risk the mimic taking over anyone else that strong" so he decides to kill every super in the city and destroying anything that could be a mimic for the sake of preserving humanity before offing himself/leaving for space or what have you

Michael

I think it’s a good chapter, I believe people are more surprised by the suddenness of it. Without any buildup chapters surrounding Solaris and Truth-sayer for a bit, it may have created the idea that they are now off the table and done with.

Doodlyboy15

I honestly think that's my only gripe and it's very small at that. I agree that it would round out the transition and personally I would enjoy it being unclear if he goes off the deep end or if he's been taken over until the end. Maybe even have a probability dodge perry interact with solaris, solaris claim that everyone is mimics so he's explicitly blowing up people (that can survive it like perrys dad) and off screen converting other. Probability perry loses, it looks like it's just normal crazy solaris but perry can still posit that a mimic could just prod the solaris shell mind so he can't tell yet because the mimic venom/ detector/ mcguffin isn't finished yet. Then maybe have him technically kill solaris in some way, get exp, restart solaris's heart or even have prof replica help save solaris to get a begrudging handsgake between nemesises... nemese?... whatever. With some fun other scenes in the mix.

Owen Kaz

I think I see the basis for the turn around, and I dig it. I'd skip the explanation for now, other than Perry quickly going through and figuring out what happened. Give us a basis, but don't exposition us for now. The focus NEEDS to be on the threat at hand, we have seconds here, not 15 minutes for a complex discussion on how and why.

mhaj58

Maybe include Replicazauls POV in the update. He’s practically a non character at this point. He should have thoughts and feelings about Perry and using Solaris to take him down.

Deinos

I'm all for Mayhem, less for the cop-put à la "it was all but a dream". Tragedies have depth because they are permanent, anything else tends to take away from the meaningfulness of any potential outcome.

Treeman4

I agree with your choice of converting him and giving a chance to actually repair things. If i were to give an idea for the lax security, he could have just blasted one of the anchors in a fit of paranoia, and with the mimics running about figured jist putting him away somewhere would be smartest to avoid manpower issues while the mimics are around. Also keeps him from knowing much about them since they dont want him even more paranoid. Could use maybe an edit or once over for clarity but otherwise fine, people just like to complain.

Doodlyboy15

My reply with story ideas stands as is. I really appreciate the community interaction. I hope it results in a good sampling of ideas and reactions rather than some kind of skewed echo chamber of what a small number of readers want.

Kurt A

I just found it odd that Perry would keep the serum around in a place it could be stolen. Like he should’ve either destroyed it entirely or dumped it on Manita.

Jamarr

Might also help if during this interlude it's show that some of the mimic detectors no longer work, that the mimic has created its own antibodies against it and that it's allowing some of its clones to get caught to keep the ruse up.

Kirvin

As far as the "why doesn't Solaris just instantly convert everyone" thing, I think a good answer would be that another anchor or Perry or someone else powerful interferes in some way, or the mimics can't fully utilize his power for reasons.

Doodlyboy15

I agree, wasn't the mimic detector stated to be a ruse? Err Billy had one but that got infiltrated I believe so yeah, having a fresh batch be shown to not work would be nice.

Doodlyboy15

Which serum? Wasn't this serum just a lie?

Doodlyboy15

Are you assuming this serum is the mimic defeating one? I assumed it was just...liquid mimic.

ALargeClam

I feel, a bit of time between killing the mimic/realizing all family is gone, obfuscated sucurity is slow(didnt get a new dose uh oh), and Solaris going purge mode would flow a lot better. Give him some time to spiral.

Doodlyboy15

I could be down with that, especially since the story format changes when this is repackaged into a book vs the slightly episodic version now.

Macronomicon

the finish line has always been my achilles heel. But I'm tryin'.

Phsteven

Tbh, I just assume that perry is going to somehow distill Brendan's power into a serum that he gives to everything to turn it into itself

Joseph Snyder

Your admission gives me hope. I think the thing that should "kill" all the important people from the wedding should be a completely separate third thing you only hinted at. So Solaris is healed but unable to fight. The mimics all get killed. And Perry starts to relax until he realizes he still remembers all the 4th dimensional being at his wedding. Then mysterious third item pops up and causes mass death. You've hinted back at the egg from professor replica multiple times. It could be whatever hatches from that. I think the real question you have to ask yourself is "How do you want the series to end?" You want Perry to kill Solaris? That's fine you've hinted at it so many times. Hell you could even avoid him being the reason that so many powerful individuals die if you play it right. Solaris in another fugue state from being unable to reconcile reality with the ~20sih percent of his memory he has left does x or z gets confused by his super speed and gets offed. Completely blame able on not being lock and key and half the city becoming mimics. You want the world to practically end in 6mths? You have endless threats to throw at Perry. Not just the eggs. In all honesty I don't believe anything after the time skip will be nearly as well done. In my experience any author who does more than 1year in a time skip is because they wrote themselves into a corner.

Jose Rivera

The serum is also a mimic

Selkie

I’m happy to see what you do but I’ve got a few issues with it as is, and since this is inviting discussion, sure I’ll throw my hat in. The first is Perry letting some Solaris messing serum around. Maybe it’s not from him, fine. The biggest issue is the famously good Solaris NOT successfully killing a target when he knows what the target is? I think that’s the biggest problem and letdown. Third - if you want Solaris and Perry in conflict, Perry has so much sketchy stuff around him. Solaris finds out about just one of them, add in his existing paranoia (he’ll even post cure paranoia to really rub it in!) and you’ve got an excellent Solaris vs Perry battle, with all characters remaining true to themselves. Heck he finds out about Perry “working with” replica and boom! Conflict. Or one of a dozen different things. My biggest complaint thinking about it more is still the “century old expert killer failing to kill someone he has the drop on and perfect knowledge of”

Ryan Naquin

It has to be Perry's curse magic to shut off Solaris's powers and allow th mimic to take him.

Eden

I honestly don't see Solaris going insane tbh. I understand a lot of people do, there's a lot that *could* go wrong with him but I just don't see it as it stands. 1000% agree with the issue of him vaporising people like perry's dad but failing to kill truthslayer, unless he was explicitly holding back because he wanted to check she was a mimic or sm? My main issue with it is the chapter flow tbh. Going from the last chapter to this feels extremely abrupt

Hayden Leech

Do you mean Solaris failing to kill Chemestro and Daryl? If so than that’s because Chemestro just went the equivalent of high attunment low stability, perry uses this mode of thinking to basically look into the future to dodge the spiders laser fire. This is basically what Chemestro just did but instead he saw that something was coming to kill him in about a second and basically detached himself from reality to survive. Nobody has ever ascribed that kind of foresight to Chemestro. Blind spot. Daryl survived because he is an AI. He doesn’t need a body to survive. Even then Solaris was able to root out 95% of what are likely hundreds of backups and failsafes. Everyone else died

Hayden Leech

If you mean Perry it’s because he is on a floating laboratory I dont think anybody knows the exact location of. Unless the mimic can sense the location of its own and transmit…. Carmen Ferris from the Australians visit might tune Solaris into the location of Perry. Uh oh.

Macronomicon

'The biggest issue is the famously good Solaris NOT successfully killing a target when he knows what the target is?' - can you be more specific? You talking Truthslayer or Chemestro?

Dlandis

Honestly, I can see how everything happened leading up to the big betrayal and can imagine the serum being produced by the mimic after so many meals were gobbled down but to have them written somewhere as validation would give a little more heft to the whole scene, albeit the reveal would be sullied if that route were taken. I can find no fault with the things and such.

Hayden Leech

Seemed rushed? I don’t think so. It should happen fast. Getting Solaris is Checkmate. Game Over. It’s been building up to assimilate Tom since scrape fucked with his head. The whole Solaris power set is based on shit happening faster than you can react to it. Rushed? Silly. Wasted chapters? All of this was what was building up to what it took to kill the most powerful super in history. Perry had to help with a cure, abun had to take advantage of that, Solaris needed to be weakened and this was how you did it. Wasted chapters? Silly.

Ronin

Sounds like you've got a solid plan in place to make the outcome make sense. I think a good way to do this is to make Solaris have some sort of Alzheimers psychotic episodes, instead of having Truthslayer genuinely be his granddaughter. In a bout of paranoia he freaks out and murders her, and unable to come to grips with what he's just done, the "cure" Perry made actually overwrites the memory as him 'defending himself from the mimics who are out to get him' instead of him murdering his lady remaining family member when she was trying to help. He then decides to take offensive action against the mimics, by killing what he believes to be the most powerful, his Anchors. That could even be why he has lax security, he attacked another anchor in a fit of paranoia, and rationalized it as the mimics. I also like the concept that Perry is partially responsible because his cure worked too well and has incidentally put Solaris in some state of bloodthirsty hallucinations.

WanderLust

With what the characters are able to observe happening when the mimic takes over individuals it is very apparent that the mimic inherits their powers and their memories turning into a practically perfect copy. Security through obscurities an awful idea after making those observations because it makes each individual easier to turn and it just takes one person turned for the mimic to realize there is no security

WanderLust

Characters that are thinking through their problems would understand that their path to survival is to bunker down in a group with the strongest individuals who they know are not turned yet because they had some forewarning before the mimic was able to turn the truly powerful individuals (the way the story reads at least)

WanderLust

The mimic should exhibit some new abilities and powers to accomplish the end goal you're looking for. As it is now it seems hard to justify why the characters wouldn't go into full lockdown mode and shoot on site any trespassers of their area. I really don't want to see the characters not taking this world-ending crisis seriously

Currot

I think people feel like the whole "Mimic got to Solaris" really fast. Perry would try to think like 12 steps ahead of anything else, if only because he can, and have all measure of precautions. Maybe some detail on how the mimic bypassed potential safeguards, maybe some scenes from the mimic's POV to give an "inside" look into how it all went down, then cue the scene with Solaris. Other than that, everything happening really fast is about what you expect from the speed of light. I can't wait to see how it all resolves though

WanderLust

The mimic has probably taken over some pretty insane wildlife with some ridiculous powers. Like bugs with teleportation or "you can't notice me" powers. As long as the characters trying their best to live I'm happy, and it doesn't really matter how hard they try when the mimic can pull from all of the wildlife in North America and beyond 😂

WanderLust

It actually makes sense if there's wildlife with stronger powers than Solaris out there that just kind of mind their own business

Jiokuy

I appreciate you telling us "mimic deaths are fake deaths" basically. It helps real deaths feel real without wasting the plot potential of mimics. And there's no real way of doing it except as author note spoilers. This really helps set my expectations going into this arc and should improve the experience. I wish more authors did this. Presumably Brandon is the actual cure.

Infinate Fail

The time scale makes sense, lights pretty fast, but not even having a camera or something in wherever solaris was staying, not even a panic button, is pretty weird. It wouldnt matter obviously, but an alarm going off right before everyone dies would give a nice "oh no" moment to the different anchors, and we could have a short description of what was going through their heads right before they died. Mechanuat for example, he could have a moment where he hears the alarm, ejects, then says something like "its all up to perry now" while seeing everything unfold.

Reodude

First: I'm willing to wait and enjoy what's to come. But since this chaps about feedback: I guess some of the feeling of 'happens fast/wastes previous chapters' for me maybe comes from how challenges hit Perry throughout the story historically vs this. In all the story I can remember, Perry doesn't actually have major setbacks on things that he has apparent control of mid-arc. Surprises happen but as far as I remember when Perry handles something it's considered Handled. This time it's something that Perry is aware of (Solaris vulnerable) and as far as readers are aware Perry can easily do (Keep one specific person safe), after we've read about all the work Perry has put in. Wouldn't be abnormal in a story where events are more obviously out of the MC's control but I dont think we're used to OP Perry's actions not be rendered moot so much

LucasTheLost

You got the keys, Shut up and drive With apologies to Rihanna. I trust you. Do your thing.

LucasTheLost

Nah, you've already set up Brandon as a mimicry psuedo-cure. If anything, that'll be a little TOO "back to normal". Will they all still have his System though? Heh.

austin kutz

Everyone getting Perry's system would probably end the world fast af unless Perry paradoxes the entire world

Sdff

dude you're over thinking this. Solaris went on a genocidal murder spree after his wife died. And a part of Perry just killed his last living relative. Solaris does not need crazy juice. Perfectly "sane" Solaris will try to kill every Manation solely for their Mimic related/adjacent lineage. Half the destruction of America explained was not Mr Roboto or the tide, but Solaris and the Dragon. Solaris just had his last piece of sanity killed dude. And Perry and The Dragon are the only equals in power, as Stacy is in a position of weekness currently.

DM

I didn’t find it jarring as much as dismaying because we all became invested in S recovering. As the arc spools out I expect it will seem less a quick change of direction and more natural. That’s the hard part of reading in serials

Domy

Possible idea plug. Evil, crazy grandma could not let things go and decides to assist the mimic in taking out Solaris by giving it the info to hurt him/his granddaughter. The it spirals out of control similar to option #2.

Selkie

Sorry wasn’t clear there - killing the truthslayer mimic (because he knows/is attacking because he believes she’s a mimic, so he’d hit as hard as needed to kill a mimic). Chemstro made perfect sense to me, no issues there. It’s the lack of properly annihilating Truthslayer that bothered me

Blackneoshifter

I'm waiting for the first version of the Brandon cure to be too effective and just make that mimic into another brandon

Andreas Fagernes Edelsteen Holm

Love your stories, and i have come to expect excellency from you. You usually manage to tie it together in a satisfactory way, so just do your thing. Tyftc.

Gardor

I shall read it and then whine about what I don't like, and then through that adversity we shall rise. Without ash to rise from, a Phoenix would just be a bird getting up.

nugitoBambino

i thought we established that the mimics don't get the system, just the mimic? also even if they did I don't think it would be that bad, Perry made it work because he figured out the Attunement hack, which most people wouldn't. Even if Perry added 'the system' to the cure to make it work and have a fun reset and new adventures so long as that hack was removed it'd be pretty fun

nugitoBambino

i agree re: Truthslayer. Honestly I don't mind the rest of the 'wasted chapters' as they're intrinsically enjoyable and can already think of explanations for the serum. The whole chapter I think would make more sense if it was essentially a suicide by Solaris. Either because (i) there's no serum and Solaris kills the real Truthslayer with a mimic as a guard nearby to get him while he grieves and (ii) Solaris hits a critical Alzheimers flashback as he ponders his dead family as the mimic consumes him. If his powers are 'on the fritz' because of the cure then i think that'd tie everything together.

nugitoBambino

this is a good idea but I think the reason it was avoided was because it doesn't work with author's preferred ending re: converting the 'mimics' back to themselves via 'weaponized Brandon' and then either everyone stays dead or Perry has to literally turn back time which feels a bit cheaty in comparison. Since I would also prefer to 'weaponize brandon' I'm more on board with Solaris definitely being a mimic whether or not he kills the real Truthslayer.

Pastor Joubert

I trust Mac with the shake ups. Let-’em cook

Joseph Snyder

It's even better if he kills the mimic and then just offs himself and then another mimic comes and eats the corpse. Make it the coffee pot. It's be almost too funny.

Joseph Snyder

I feel one of your better options is to have Solaris get caught Ina delusion and accidently when up in Chicago and be super confused and angry. Unable to use his powers properly being he has forgotten most of his training he gets gangked. There's a lot you could play with here.

Josiah Elliott

I like this option, and it finally gives Perry the full step to removing any power she has whether through death or otherwise. I think that having her and her bullshit be the ultimate villain before Perry takes the crown makes a lot of sense narratively too.

Jacob keaton

I would have preferred if someone snatching the vials had been foreshadowed. Even if we didn’t know precisely why, just some hint that it happened or was possible would have set this up sufficiently to not feel rushed. And even if we didn’t even know vials were snatched exactly, just something odd happening and then being glossed over or waved away would both set this up as well as help sell the vials being stolen - it would show how overconfident and or rushed Perry was. And it feels a bit much for him to be able to snatch the vials from under Perry’s nose without any sort of outside help. Not only not being noticed by Paradox, but also surviving and circumventing Paradox technology. It raised my eyebrow, if I’m being honest. The main issue, to me, is him doing it alone. Complementary support from one or more others and/or outside assistance would sell it to me. Something like someone else to sneak him in somehow and maybe a piece of technology or magic to give him just a little leeway with surviving the incinerator would be much more believable in my mind. But it’s fine. I never felt like it invalidated any of these previous chapters, for instance. The vials just manifesting themselves out of the ether like that was a little jarring, is all.

Ziggoid

Listen, it’s your story and I only ever wanna read the story you were gonna write. That’s why I subscribed to the Patreon and that’s why, as jarring as this chapter is (it felt like a lot changed in very few sentences for sure), if it’s the ISM you’re writing, it’s the one I wanna read! You’ve taken us this far and I believe you’ll take us somewhere great. Also, some folks don’t seem to realize that character development, the growth of people portrayed, is still valuable if those people are gone. I feel them to a degree but in the end it wasn’t a waste to portray people growing and learning, even if the world still squashed them in the end. That’s life.

Sweet Serials

No, mimics get their own system. What they don't get is a shared system, or the garage tinker class. They have to have the system because the older ones can use and infuse tech.