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Explore every episode of the podcast Inchworm

Dive into the complete episode list for Inchworm. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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TitlePub. DateDuration
1.x - "Cape Daddy"28 Feb 202500:44:30

Jenny and Ted discuss Gestation 1.x.


Episode Notes:

  • Jenny is in uncharted terra-wormy
  • Being inside Danny’s head
  • Contrasting the two daddies
  • Taylor is heard but not seen
  • The mystery of Annette’s departure
  • Is Danny over- or under- playing his temper?
  • We count the ways a teenager might not want to tell her dad everything
  • He has no healthy way to deal with reasonable anger
  • The mystery of Taylor’s hospitalization
  • THEME ALERT
  • Scion’s origins are sus, as are the origins of all cape powers
  • Worm Wednesdays
  • whereisscionnow.com
  • Scion’s name
  • Other cape names


Links:

1.6 - "Defined By Your Actions"25 Feb 202500:45:59

Jenny and Ted discuss Gestation 1.6.


Episode Notes:

  • Ted’s Wildbow % complete
  • Tinker, Taylor
  • Armsmaster’s first impression
  • Untoward to be a Ward
  • “You’re telling the truth!”
  • Meeting your hero
  • Is Armsmaster secretly old or are all capes relatively young?
  • Between the awe and the manipulation there is a genuine connection here
  • Better to be a lone worm
  • Is Taylor really going to side with Armsmaster over these cool and fun teens?
  • Bakuda has joined the ABB
  • Tinkers are reconstructing a trope
  • Hot or not: the top two thirds of Armsmaster’s face
  • Predictions and names
  • Bonus: Daedalus theory


Links:

1.5 - "People Thinking She's Bad"21 Feb 202500:43:43

Jenny and Ted discuss Gestation 1.5.


Episode Notes:

  • Taylor makes use of extremely limited resources…
  • …that aren’t even related to her power!
  • Taylor can’t fly (yet)
  • Why isn’t Lung known to be a stronger cape?
  • Is there a Superman cape?
  • Did Taylor almost beat Lung herself?
  • We already have van sized monster dogs fighting an eight foot dragon man!!
  • The “children” are cool and fun
  • Gender theory of superpowers
  • Ted tries to get Jenny to power rank all the capes so far but c’mon she doesn’t know half their powers yet
  • Taylor doesn’t have a cape name yet (placeholder: Bug)
  • Taylor’s “shyness”
  • How are heroes and villains delineated?
  • Names and predictions


Links:

1.4 - "Capable And Disposable"18 Feb 202500:40:29

Jenny and Ted discuss Gestation 1.4.


Episode Notes:

  • Lung’s dragon morph
  • Would you rather fight one dragon-sized dragon or one hundred bug-sized bugs?
  • Taylor’s battle plan and bloodlust
  • Taylor’s inventory
  • Nice to have our hero initiate the fight
  • Taylor’s power came with an internal bug CPU
  • Dick Corner
  • Taylor’s rules of engagement
  • Will Taylor eventually use up all of the bugs?
  • Insects are ideal minions
  • Judgy Taylor strikes again
  • Predictions and names


Links:

1.3 - "Gotta Have A Reason For Your Evil Activities"13 Feb 202500:31:32

Jenny and Ted discuss Gestation 1.3.


Episode Notes:

  • Jenny did her homework
  • Ted apologizes and corrects the record about Brockton Bay’s location
  • Taylor is JUDGY about the residents of the Docks
  • (But it sounds so affordable!)
  • The exaggeratedness of the setting
  • Taylor sees … a gun!!!
  • Are we down with ABB? 
  • Brockton Bay is a city in crisis
  • Is the PHQ just security theater?
  • Taylor’s finished costume
  • What makes a supervillain
  • Lung’s powers and (un)known unknowns
  • Who are The Children?


Links:

1.2 - "Logistics Are So Satisfying"11 Feb 202500:33:55

Jenny and Ted discuss Gestation 1.2. NOTE: Sorry about the background noise in this one.


Episode Notes:

  • Ted is confidently wrong about the location of Brockton Bay
  • Does Taylor enjoy bugs? (No)
  • Does Taylor have a lot of bugs? (Yes)
  • Is Taylor limited only by the number of bugs she can find, or also by the limits of her brain?
  • How Taylor is like we were as teenagers
  • Does Taylor have a killer instinct? (Reply hazy)
  • Speculation about how powers might make teenage violence and self-harm even worse
  • Is Taylor underrating “control (all) bugs”?
  • Taylor’s home and family and ex-best friend
  • A future for Taylor as a weaver
  • Taylor’s choice
  • Predictions corner
  • New segment: Cape Names!


Links:

1.1 - "Better Than I Am"07 Feb 202500:37:36

Jenny and Ted discuss Gestation 1.1.


Episode Notes:

  • What does it mean to be a cape in this world?
  • A close reading of the first two lines of Worm
  • A tiny scrap of cape lore and a big mass of bugs
  • Everyone loves a powerful underdog
  • Taylor’s power hasn’t solved her problems
  • The theme of control
  • Taylor is that jaded, loner kid who is still insecure
  • Will cape society be just like high school?
  • Worm’s YA setting
  • Bug proprioception
  • Taylor makes it worse
  • Cape justice
  • Taylor’s passivity: she feels she is moral for what she does not do
  • Jenny suggests how Taylor might retaliate against these awful bullies
  • Predictions corner


Links:

0.0 - "Seems Kinda Evil"30 Jan 202500:27:54

Before reading anything, Jenny and Ted discuss Worm generally and introduce the podcast. NOTE: We had some technical issues with the audio in this one that should be resolved before the next episode.


Episode Notes:

  • What is Worm?
  • Wait, Worm is HOW long?
  • Ted’s pitch for why you should read Worm
  • A quick introduction to Wildbow
  • Character-driven superpowers
  • Jenny introduces us to Taylor
  • “Capes”
  • Jenny imagines where the story will go
  • The 2011 superhero zeitgeist
  • Creator Chose Not To Use Content Warnings
  • Worm fic is like Avengers fic 
  • Should this story have been called Bug?
  • Insect Aside vs. the Bug Bear
  • Ted names a favorite cape and Jenny guesses her power
  • How you can (optionally) read along
  • There are 2+ fan audiobooks of Worm


Links:

https://parahumans.wordpress.com/

https://www.patreon.com/Wildbow

14.1 - "Radical Friendship"31 Jul 202601:15:21

Jenny and Ted discuss Prey 14.1.


Episode Notes:

  • Jenny loved this chapter
  • Brian probably doesn't sleep anymore
  • Jenny's less worried about him being evil, though
  • Undersiders vs. Travelers vibes
  • Who has the deadliest secrets??
  • Cherish doesn't say anything about Lisa...
  • Cherish isn't very good at this
  • Lies Cherish might have told
  • Jenny was almost right!
  • What's the Siberian's deal??
  • If you could project any body you wanted...
  • Taylor's role in the upcoming operation
  • Siberians' living the murder hobo fantasy
  • The Unravelers vs. Battery
  • Siberian vs. the Birdcage
  • Siberian has three chapters to live
  • Aisha's only seen unhealthy romantic relationships
  • So has Alec, but he's taken different lessons from it
  • Who was Alec sleeping with?
  • Regent and rape culture
  • Who's writing the Regent CNC fanfiction?
  • What if Aisha and Alec were best friends
  • Possibly Bitch and Taylor have made some progress here
  • Lisa vs. Taylor on ways to connect to Bitch
  • What if Brian used Amy's power...on Amy?
  • Taylor meets Hyperbole and a Half
  • What do we owe to each other, Taylor?
  • Taylor and radical friendship
  • Finally, some acknowledgments of reality


Links:


13.x - "They Could Work Together"21 Jul 202601:22:21

Jenny and Ted discuss Snare 13.x.


Episode Notes:

  • Even before the summary we are discussing whether Emily War Crimes is a villain, in several senses of the word
  • Evil ends vs. evil means
  • Given what else we’ve read, it’s tough to say she’s just being paranoid
  • Can she control you?
  • The kind of “hero” Taylor has come to expect
  • Emily’s career so far must cast a shadow on her present feelings
  • The (we hope) PR hit from obvious war crimes
  • Parapolitical theory
  • Why can’t we all just get along?
  • Self-justifying ends
  • Do they need to beat the Nine or just survive them?
  • Emily’s plan is so bad and self-aggrandizing we compare her to Colin
  • Emily prefers inhuman technology to all-too-human capes
  • Metaphor blindness
  • The plan is doomed if only because it was fully explained
  • Mid-episode predictions
  • LGBT = Legend Gay Blue Triumvirate
  • At least Legend feels guilty when he’s bad
  • Alexandria, Siberian, Clockblocker, and who or what gets to be most invulnerable
  • A world without Hero
  • Everything’s coming up Siberian
  • We’re gonna see Ol’ Jackie Slash wriggle his way out of this jam
  • Battery will be depleted, er, defeated
  • No plague (Bonesaw had her chance in Arc 12 anyway)
  • Training montage!
  • A grab bag of smaller topics
  • Emily sings “Little Capes”
  • The Wards need a youth pastor
  • Emily doesn’t mind other normals
  • Oh so the system that gives someone apparently unaccountable power is leading to this sort of thing, huh?
  • Emily bears witness
  • Is having people that matter to you fertile ground for cultivating ethics?
  • What’s her backstory??
  • Emily sees the live possibility of a sudden heroic sacrifice
  • The purpose of government
  • The irony of Emily not being a cape


Links:


13.x.5 (bonus) - "Girl Detective"19 Jun 202601:01:41

Jenny and Ted discuss Snare 13.x.5 (bonus).


Episode Notes:

  • We make peace with interlude labeling
  • Cherish's potential demands
  • The sticking point: the Siberian
  • Imp's regard for her own life vs. her own reputation
  • Sheath knowledge is our new secret weapon
  • So many missed shots at Jack
  • Imp_______
  • Brian needs to get it together and listen to Aisha
  • Maybe we need to start taking Aisha seriously as an Undersider
  • Aisha has to work for every moment of attention she gets
  • We like Aisha a LOT more when she's not with Brian
  • A lot of maturity, a lot of damage
  • Wait. Is this Harriet the Spy?
  • Give Imp a chance!!
  • Okay but also thank goodness for Brian
  • Just how many memories can Imp erase
  • Ironically, Imp can't make herself forget
  • Inherited powers and generational trauma
  • This is Aisha's million-dollar gamble
  • Some twisted domesticity
  • Ted loves Crawler now
  • Does Bonesaw make her body childlike on purpose?
  • Shatterbird vs. Hookwolf looks different with sheaths
  • Why doesn't Aisha's power work on Cherish's memories?
  • Cherish would be a great friend for Aisha, if she didn't suck
  • Impreg
  • The return of psychic shielding
  • Killer instincts: check
  • Chekhov's slit throat
  • Civilian perspectives on Brockton Bay


Links:


4.10 - "Classic Villain Mistake"08 Jul 202500:40:13

Jenny and Ted discuss Shell 4.10.


Episode Notes:

  • It’s our first altered mental state chapter and it’s a great one
  • Ted immediately derails the summary (Sorry Jenny!)
  • Whatever happens next, this feels like a deeply earned victory
  • Bakuda’s only held back by her personality
  • Toe rings as classic misdirection
  • How Taylor must look to Bakuda
  • The amount of strength it takes for Taylor to take that lucky shot
  • Is Bakuda a mad scientist or does she just think she’s a mad scientist?
  • The analysis devolves into reading our favorite lines, this is just a really well written chapter


Links:


4.9 - "Some Bug"04 Jul 202500:36:05

Jenny and Ted discuss Shell 4.9.


Episode Notes:

  • Introducing our new protagonist: Angelica Worm
  • No jk we think it's a pain bomb
  • Returning segment “Ted reads a page from Worm”
  • So much SomeBug (a real ship name we didn’t just make up)
  • Does Brian think of Taylor as a sister, a dog, or something more??
  • We expose the boss's duplicity
  • Unless there's a secret civilian leader of the ABB
  • Deflating Bakuda
  • Grue could work on his TattleTemper
  • Regent could work on his strength training
  • He did some reputation reps this chapter, though
  • Does Tattletale know she's in a novel?


Links:

4.8 - "Being Bombs"01 Jul 202500:52:55

Jenny and Ted discuss Shell 4.8.


Episode Notes:

  • Bakuda: actually a monster!
  • But do we smell an uprising?
  • Tattletale's so good at taunting, people think it's part of her power
  • The only thing they have to fear is… bombs in their heads. Yikes. 
  • Bakuda is omg so random
  • So Bakuda's a cape and a genius? Come on, pick one!
  • Would other villains in Brockton Bay care about the possibility of blowing up all the ABB's hostages? Maybe Bakuda's just putting a target on her back
  • We're side-eying Regent
  • You have to shut Tattletale up to give someone else the spotlight
  • But she’s clearly still using her power
  • A deep dive into who Bakuda might have been
  • Taylor has her own ABB (A Buncha Bugs)
  • Does this death change anything for Jenny? (Nah!)
  • Most of the Undersiders won’t care for immediate retaliation


Links:


4.7 - "Skipping The Cutscene"27 Jun 202500:34:03

Jenny and Ted discuss Shell 4.7.


Episode Notes:

  • Where did Bakuda learn to play chess and why is she so good at it?
  • Elite planning or just Leet planning?
  • Ted gets to be a Bakuda fanboy for just one teeny tiny moment
  • In the Metal Gear Solid games, Bakuda’s codenames would be Bomber Mantis, Fatwoman, and The Bomb
  • Does E88 make it easier for the ABB to exploit people?
  • It’ll get worse before it gets better
  • Sweet character moments with Grue and Tattletale
  • What’s the sound of a black hole, Ted?
  • Bomb Corner


Links:


4.x (bonus) - "Jumpscare"24 Jun 202500:57:45

Jenny and Ted discuss Shell 4.x (bonus).


Episode Notes:

  • Ted is wily!
  • As is Wildbow. Way to hide the ball, Wildbow.
  • Boo! There’s racism inside this feminism!
  • Maybe Kayden is tragic but not sympathetic?
  • She’s also seemingly very ineffective when not fighting
  • Kayden and Aster as symbols
  • Purity, blankness, and whiteness
  • Is Theo too “pure”? Or is he lacking “manliness”?
  • Empire Eighty Eight sounds like working at Amazon
  • I don’t really have a quippy line about this, but we try to grapple with how 2011 supervillain Nazis feel different from the 2025 mundane ones
  • Does Kayden want to change? Or even want to want to change?
  • Oops we compared Purity to Tattletale
  • If we can think Kayden's a hero for three-quarters of the chapter, what does that say about heroes?
  • Purity and Bakuda are both changing the odds for the upcoming gang war
  • This is an interlude more like what Jenny was expecting
  • Jenny reads the first five words of the next chapter
  • Does the dog die??


Links:

4.6 - "Red Herring Villains"20 Jun 202500:40:44

Jenny and Ted discuss Shell 4.6.


Episode Notes:

  • Jenny's forgotten everything she's ever predicted
  • Leet's power must trigger such anticipatory nostalgia
  • In defending video games, Uber and Leet are fighting a battle that's already been won.
  • Unlike their battle against the Undersiders, which has already been lost.
  • But have they ever farted on a baby?
  • Tattletale, master baiter
  • We speculate on how Uber breathes in a doctor's office
  • How to optimize Leet's power?
  • If you cloned yourself, would your clones have your superpower?
  • Do tinkers even use science?
  • A very cartoonish fight, until Taylor has to choke someone out
  • This upcoming fight isn't looking good for our herovillains
  • Taylor's learning to be more careful with her swarm
  • Interlude 3.5?! We're floored.
  • We find out about the special protectorate orphanage which is totally real


Links:

4.5 - "Villain-On-Villain Stuff"17 Jun 202500:43:29

Jenny and Ted discuss Shell 4.5.


Episode Notes:

  • Get your votes in: can Taylor banter or not??
  • Taylor gets her wish
  • Is Uber’s power is like moving to California?
  • Turns out video games do cause violence!
  • Did Uber and Leet invent Twitch?
  • Sorry to say that having good taste is not a technique
  • Jenny wants to know when the fun stops
  • Is there a slippery slope here aside from the storage locker roof?
  • Taylor's really hitting her (under)stride(r). Unfortunately?
  • A detour about form and pacing featuring a comment from Wildbow
  • Jenny pitches a different metaphorical fall
  • Emma’s power is, indirectly, permission for Taylor’s vengeance
  • Alec's coming into his own, maybe!
  • Ted pitches a paranoid and lonely ghost-finder cape
  • The elusive Rachel
  • Jenny speculates on Leet’s classification and secret employer


Links:


4.4 - "The Story That He Tells"13 Jun 202500:52:08

Jenny and Ted discuss Shell 4.4.


Episode Notes:

  • The suspense is getting to Jenny
  • Turns out these villains really ARE sympathetic!
  • Non-villainy? In this economy??
  • Stakes just went up, everyone!!
  • How can Taylor turn Brian in now?
  • Taylor's ripe for a coming-of-age disillusionment
  • Does Brian disprove the category of villains, or simply escape it?
  • Whose motives are nobler, Brian's or Taylor's?
  • Brian's stoicism and pragmatism go hand in hand
  • Was this the worst day of his life, though?
  • Taylor, you should make your hugs less brief
  • Are superpowers related to self-image?
  • We're on Alec's side about the spiders
  • Taylor the tailor
  • The Monty Hall Murder Problem
  • The Sidewalk Incident
  • Predictions and torturability


Links:


4.3 - "Fractured, Filthy"10 Jun 202500:45:30

Jenny and Ted discuss Shell 4.3.


Episode Notes:

  • Taylor's backstory: what if Carrie, but more?
  • It was worse and more deliberate than we expected!
  • BTW Danny, be kind to yourself, this is an absolutely acceptable reason to lose your temper
  • How her trigger event shaped the way she is in Arc 1
  • What does Taylor hope for when it comes to the Protectorate?
  • They’re real friends! Genuine, certified friends!!
  • Alec's secret insecurity
  • We're on Alec's side, though. Those bullies deserve to suffer
  • Taylor’s impressive suppression
  • She doesn’t trust herself to take revenge, but she doesn’t trust these villains either
  • Taylor needed to share her truth, officially becoming the Heart of the group
  • Trigger Event Lore Corner
  • Spoilers for The Time Traveler’s Wife about what might happen if you trigger very young
  • Taylor’s power as eldritch horror
  • Next up this arc: more bullies and Emma’s cape name!


Links:


4.2 - "Not The Kind Of Thing You Should Repeat"06 Jun 202500:38:47

Jenny and Ted discuss Shell 4.2.


Episode Notes:

  • Jenny is still settling into her expectations for this narrative
  • What do season 5 of The Wire, Serenity, and Toy Story 3 have in common?
  • Okay, but what if the rest of the story is just 1.5M words of fluff?
  • Undersiders: Origins is probably not a fun watch
  • Alec and Taylor successfully banter
  • Putting the sides in Undersiders
  • The art of building a female friendship
  • How Taylor must have looked from the outside
  • Being undercover doesn’t stop Taylor from drawing clear boundaries
  • Jenny pitches a grave robbery
  • We predict the power of the Fugly Bob's Challenger


Links:

13.2 - "There Has To Be Loss"16 Jun 202601:05:12

Jenny and Ted discuss Snare 13.2.


Episode Notes:

  • Mannequin is formidable but Taylor just might have the narrative advantage again
  • It’s not fair that tinkers can use their sideboard between rounds!!
  • Of course, Grue and Imp have sibling powers
  • Mannequin’s misprinted knives and a double Wormiversary!
  • On the other hand, a win in round one suggests Taylor would be due for future defeats…
  • Bitch isn’t just angry, she’s in crisis
  • Jenny identifies more Undersider death flags
  • Taylor’s feeling like herself again
  • Taylor is evolving…. into Ghostwriter!
  • Was Amy gettable if they hadn’t been interrupted?
  • Amy needs to believe all villains are violators
  • Excuses vs. forgiveness
  • Are we villain or are we monster?
  • Does Taylor’s authenticity shine through?
  • Combat Amy (she’s wearing the hat for it!)
  • We like stories where people solve impossible problems
  • Amy is like if Battery stood up for her ideals in the most annoying way
  • Eww, Amy can feel Taylor’s brain through her bugs
  • Let’s Tinker Amy
  • Good Cop, Bad Cop, Dad Cop
  • A Tattletangent
  • Noelle? More like Nocape!
  • Now there are three murderers on the Undersiders
  • Interlude predictions


Links:


4.1 - "Happy Teenage Villain"03 Jun 202500:38:02

Jenny and Ted discuss Shell 4.1.


Episode Notes:

  • The best muffins she’s ever tasted… so far!
  • Rachel’s not beating the charges
  • But she’s making our hearts beat sympathetically
  • CSI: Sweater Dog
  • Alec’s probably not a murderer, though he slays in a Kid Win tee
  • Taylor makes a difficult concession
  • Paying off her emotional debts
  • The mystery of Emma’s heel turn
  • Can old people like teachers and dads become capes?
  • Potency and Scented Candle
  • Taylor’s itching for another scrape
  • How necessary the boss is to their operation
  • Finally, somewhere in Brockton Bay we want to visit
  • Predictions


Links:

3.mailbag - "The Inching Of It All"30 May 202501:21:57

Jenny and Ted discuss... listener questions.


Episode Notes:

  • Our gross bug stories
  • We've really been enjoying the inching of it all
  • Jenny was expecting things to go less well for these characters
  • Ted's been impressed with the careful writing on a reread
  • Jenny wants to write cape RPF
  • Is Glory Girl's force field a metaphor?
  • Jenny predicts the Dallon family secret
  • Who are the real monsters, us or the monsters?
  • Are powers getting stronger?
  • What if the Endbringers are the real good guys?
  • Is Shell a metaphor?
  • Taylor's gonna build a crab army, control a gut biome, learn to fly, and develop firefly morse code
  • Jenny classifies capes beyond just Tinkers
  • Animorphs corner!
  • Pop girlies
  • Jenny’s hopes for her own theories
  • A LOT of five man band discourse
  • Okay, but which Undersider is which Friends character?
  • Without missing a beat, Jenny admits that her favorite Animorph and her least favorite cape are basically the same person
  • Jenny’s does a cape fight bracket!!
  • Jenny’s first fanart reactions - check Tumblr for links!
  • We had more questions than we could cover, and we are so grateful! Thanks to you all!


Links:

3.x - "Untenable"20 May 202501:06:17

Jenny and Ted discuss Agitation 3.x.


Episode Notes:

  • Announcement: Arc 4 coverage starts in June ’25
  • Write in mailbag questions in the #ask-a-host channel on Discord
  • The “viewpoint” of this interlude was a real surprise!
  • When the PRT director docks the breakfast budget, I shout: “Leggot my eggot!”
  • The ending seems ominous but do they really know anything about Tattletale?
  • What’s going on with Armsmaster’s brief appearance here? Is he jealous that Miss Militia’s power fits his name better?
  • Miss Militia as an American fantasy and reflection on gender-identifying cape names
  • Miss Militia and Aegis show off their leadership skills
  • Why Gallant’s power may have led him to adopt a “gallant” persona and why he and Glory Girl work as a couple
  • Amy’s burnout and why Gallant fails her
  • An ominous path for Panacea
  • The Wards seem pretty okay, we guess!
  • A Skitter confession/apology
  • The name of the game for the PRT/Wards is optics
  • Kid Winning us over (and Kid Proving Taylor would hate it here)
  • What do you think the PRT capeaganda video games would be like?
  • Funny Aegis
  • RIP Emma
  • Jenny takes another bite at Amy’s secrets and feelings
  • The Shell game


Links:

3.12 - "They're Our Bad Guys"16 May 202501:07:01

Jenny and Ted discuss Agitation 3.12.


Episode Notes:

  • The Undersiders pull off their first of presumably many clean wins with no terrible consequences!
  • Lore Corner
  • Every flying cape is invulnerable in different ways
  • Is the boss down with D.B.B?
  • Jenny designs her own Birdcage
  • Glory Girl throws a TTTT (Tattletale temper tantrum)
  • You have to look untouchable to be untouchable
  • Team “The Weight Of My Every Decision Is Too Much To Bear” vs Team “Nah It’s All Good”
  • Panacea’s breaking point
  • Have we mentioned how cool the Undersiders are?
  • Even if it’s just for this moment, Taylor loosens up
  • Tattletale can take a bow
  • Checking in on the bullying theme
  • Predictions for the next arc and beyond
  • Who’s who on Teen Girl Squad?
  • Calling all shippers: who do you ship Taylor with to create LadyBug, LightningBug, and StinkBug?


Links:

3.11 - "Sneering Little Preppy Rich Country Club Girls"13 May 202500:48:33

Jenny and Ted discuss Agitation 3.11.


Episode Notes:

  • Jenny may be the first person in over a decade to pause reading at the end of this chapter
  • This is one of Ted's favorite scenes in early Worm!
  • A new theory on where Tattletale got her power
  • New Wave: cool idea, lousy execution(s)
  • Amy seems into their sisterly bond in this chapter
  • Jenny's putting these two at the top of the kid cape pyramid
  • It's all about the information warfare
  • If not YA why all these teens
  • Glory Girl is ripe for villainy
  • Is Amy okay?? Yes and she and Taylor should be friends
  • Teen girls represent!!
  • What's Glory Girl got against tables, huh?
  • Good thing Tattletale is SUCH A BOSS (but not that one. Probably.)
  • Psychics and other lore nuggets
  • Predictions 


Links:


3.10 - "That's An Unfair Judgment"09 May 202501:01:40

Jenny and Ted discuss Agitation 3.10.


Episode Notes:

  • Turns out R.I.P. just stood for Remain In Place
  • Taylor’s head hurt even before she got bonked in the head
  • Vista and Browbeat (fake) and Browbeat (absent)
  • Will this story feature realistic concussions?
  • How old do you have to be exactly before Ted no longer cares if you get punched in the head?
  • Gallant pulls a Goofus
  • How do you do, fellow Kid Wins?
  • This fight is full of compelling one on one matchups, whether or not they're fair fights
  • Brown-hair freckles girl is being unfair to Taylor
  • Has Taylor reached the limit of her processing power?
  • Speculation on headaches, Bitch, and Taylor’s assailant
  • A lotta new names
  • We invent NetsCape


Links:


3.9 - "R.I.P."06 May 202500:36:11

Jenny and Ted discuss Agitation 3.9.


Episode Notes:

  • Well, Clockbocker is dead now. Whoops.
  • We have our first body horror warning!
  • But wait, is it narratively possible for a character to die offscreen?
  • We can’t help rooting for the Underside’s
  • Taylor may not have an instinct for killing but she certainly has one for brutal shutdowns
  • Secret zombie dogs??
  • Someone needs to animate this dog fight
  • Aegis as a great sendup of superhero plot armor
  • Bitch likes to go where she's pointed
  • This IS the superhero fighting we've been looking for
  • Wildbow doesn't hold back on the cool things Taylor can do with her power
  • What are the other Wards up to?
  • Tattletale must be feeling great right now


Links:


3.8 - "Normal Human Emotions"02 May 202500:38:29

Jenny and Ted discuss Agitation 3.8.


Episode Notes:

  • Taylor changes things everywhere she goes, especially when innocents are threatened
  • This fight might not be a great idea, but we sure do want to see it
  • Taylor also acts decisively when she’s feeling boxed in
  • Is killing someone just fun and games?
  • Grue doesn’t like improv
  • Tattletale would never #stayhumble
  • Wards, assemble!
  • Nobody in this chapter is secretly Emma
  • Can Bitch switch it off?
  • Being firm
  • Up on the roof top: not the boss


Links:

3.7 - "Utility Bugs"29 Apr 202500:44:10

Jenny and Ted discuss Agitation 3.7.


Episode Notes:

  • The simple tension is hitting really well
  • Suddenly Grue(some)
  • Share your favorite early arcs Tattletale fan art!
  • What’s going to surprise us about Regent?
  • Doggy horror
  • Aura theory for dogs
  • How do you efficiently pack millions of bugs into a van?
  • How do you efficiently terrorize a room full of people with bugs?
  • The fear factor
  • Why isn’t it obvious when a Ward gets taken out of class?
  • Going to hell in a hand basket-web spider
  • Our Browbeat prediction gets increasingly deranged


Links:

3.6 - "Let This Be Fun, Taylor"25 Apr 202500:50:37

Jenny and Ted discuss Agitation 3.6.


Episode Notes:

  • The art of tense exposition
  • Lisa’s philosophy of capes: the fun, the bad, and the ugly
  • With capes taking the place of local sports, the Brockton Bay minor league teams must be doing terribly… who wants my Brockton Bagels AAA jersey?
  • Lisa’s identity may be built on differentiating herself from the “real” bad guys
  • Do these teens have any sense of non-utilitarian philosophy?
  • Either Lisa’s math is off in Brockton Bay, or she thinks the Nazis are just “having fun”
  • Even if the odds of being in prison with Lung are pretty low… that’s a big risk, Lisa!!
  • Is belief in the unwritten rules mostly copium?
  • Maybe Alec will show Lisa a Spiderman movie from Earth Aleph
  • Are you having fun yet, Taylor? Why so serious, Taylor?
  • Taylor’s compartments are not air-tight anymore
  • Good Guy Identity
  • What Taylor and Lisa do share is a need to prove themselves
  • Taylor’s “no fun” aura
  • Endbringer predictions


Links:

13.1 - "Intensive Grueling Death Games"12 Jun 202601:00:28

Jenny and Ted discuss Snare 13.1.


Episode Notes:

  • It's possible this is the bad-joke arc
  • We've been successfully reminded of the tension
  • How much narrative space are we gonna spend on these rounds of testing?
  • Skitterland! We love what she's done with the place!
  • Taylor, Lisa, and the mortifying ordeal of being perceived
  • Taylor, Brian, and the cautious approach to villainy
  • Taylor, Colin, and the vulnerability of having connections
  • Beating the Slaughterhouse Nine might make beating Coil seem more realistic
  • Caution vs. lack of hope
  • How can we fail here? Let us count the ways
  • What game is Coil playing here?
  • Imp-ulsivity
  • Alas for our combat Lisa
  • We're excited for Lisa to grow into this scar
  • What would happen if we knew Noelle's power...
  • So many traveler mysteries to... unravel
  • We continue to be balked of an Undersiders reunion
  • Bitch(es) need(s) stitches
  • Mannequin is scarier for being smart
  • As game rules go, these are not good ones
  • Can the city catch a break? Please??
  • Somebug vibes


Links:


3.5 - "They're All Murderers"22 Apr 202500:40:09

Jenny and Ted discuss Agitation 3.5.


Episode Notes:

  • Litigating Lung’s hospitalization
  • She’s smarter than he thought and he might be smart enough to realize that
  • Teasing out ‘tease’
  • Taylor’s insinuation is risky and inadvisable in some ways… but is it worth it nonetheless?
  • She’s very emotionally set on being a “good guy”
  • Taylor finds her voice in righteous anger
  • We try to fix the argument on Armsmaster’s behalf but he basically just needed to be way chiller
  • Is Taylor being overly cautious?
  • Jenny’s picks for Murder Sweepstakes will surprise you!
  • PHQ speculation, predictions, and names


Links:

3.4 - "This Gross Crawling Bug"18 Apr 202500:44:40

Jenny and Ted discuss Agitation 3.4.


Episode Notes:

  • It’s the biggest cliffhanger yet
  • Jenny can’t read the next chapter yet so she must theorize right away!!
  • The Armsmaster Collective Theory
  • The phone call is another delightful Wildbow mystery box
  • Predicting the future of Danny and Taylor’s relationship
  • Do we like secret identity tension in superhero stories?
  • School’s out forever, Taylor
  • Taylor runs verbal rings around Danny and he’s just happy to be here
  • The tragic cost of finally opening up
  • Jenny speculates about the event that she believes triggered Taylor’s powers
  • Now there’s going to be five Dallon sisters
  • What if Alec is the weakest link goodbye?
  • Taylor and Lisa’s budding friendship also has a shaky foundation
  • New Earth, whosa dis?
  • Brockton Bay NIMBYs
  • Predictions and names


Links:

3.3 - "Smug In An Appealing Way"15 Apr 202500:56:59

Jenny and Ted discuss Agitation 3.3.


Episode Notes:

  • Poor Undersiders, thinking they matter to their boss
  • We're so entertained by Lisa
  • Lisa's power works like Minesweeper. Trust us, that makes sense.
  • We're pretty sure Lisa can't read minds or tell the future! Taylor might be safe!
  • Jenny can't resist more theories about Emma
  • Could Taylor have just escaped her bullies by joining the Wards? In writing these notes, Ted realizes it would be bad OpSec to transfer her and it might not have worked like we suggest in the episode!
  • By heist movie rules, this job is going to go super well
  • The Wards have SUCH cool powers
  • Could Taylor control someone's gut microbiome?
  • Would you want people to know it if you could shoot them with emotion beams? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Shadowstalker and a potential path forward for Taylor


Links:

3.2 - "Hate Crimes But Not Dance"11 Apr 202500:46:20

Jenny and Ted discuss Agitation 3.2.


Episode Notes:

  • Putting this chapter through its pacing
  • Sharing Wildbow’s thoughts on writing early Worm
  • Worm’s medium can break both genres and writer’s block
  • Taylor’s gangdar
  • The heroes are allies of capitalism
  • Brian porn
  • We're excited for how Wildbow writes fights, especially when there are skill mismatches
  • Brian just wants to teach (people to fight)!
  • Alec, you're the dork
  • Jenny's willing to lose at least two of the Undersiders at this point
  • Everyone thinks the boss thing is weird! It's not just us!
  • What if Lisa's just really good at seeing the future and is pretending she can't?
  • Taylor's cognitive dissonance mirrors our own
  • What if Taylor's dad is at the bank and it all gets very angsty??
  • Names!


Links:

3.1 - "Truly, Truly Adorable"08 Apr 202500:51:51

Jenny and Ted discuss Agitation 3.1.


Episode Notes:

  • Crabs? Crabs???
  • Taylor's quitting school… and Jenny’s opinion on that was a huge surprise to Ted
  • General Sophia’s victory
  • The Undersiders are so good at gang recruitment. Better than the ABB!
  • Brockton Bay is a real mess. Taylor should revitalize it as a seafood hub
  • Taylor's out there wooing Brian with her punctuality
  • We're so into this crush and all of Taylor's decisions which will definitely not come crashing down around her ears
  • We probably like Brian. Mostly
  • Wildbow is good at writing teen characters with teen-type flaws
  • What Taylor sees as ugliness
  • Are worms and crabs bugs? WHO CAN SAY
  • Predictions about Danny and the bullies, and cape names


Links:

2.x - "Really Dysfunctional"04 Apr 202501:03:42

Jenny and Ted discuss Insinuation 2.x.


Episode Notes:

  • The interlude formula is character work mixed with exposition
  • Why doesn’t Superman have bugs all over his face?
  • Practice makes her appear perfect
  • Think of the Brockton Bay Public Works budget, Glory Girl!!
  • Glory Girl is a loaded gun with a hair trigger… but at least she’s crushing Nazi bones!
  • Ted coins the phrase “cow down”
  • Does the girl make the aura or the aura make the girl?
  • Is it worse to compare Victoria to Donald Trump or to Emma?
  • Victoria asks for a favor Amy can’t refuse
  • A strong counterexample to the gendered powers theory
  • Victoria watched too much 24
  • New Wave, new theories
  • Finally, extensive details about crime and crime lords in Brockton Bay
  • We're already seeing the ripple effects of Taylor's actions
  • Okay, maybe Armsmaster had a point
  • What would we do with the burden of Amy's power?
  • Does Amy first do no harm?
  • The dicks-destroyed-to-arcs ratio is surprisingly high
  • Does Amy want to be good or just better than her sister?
  • Victoria as deconstruction/reconstruction
  • Jenny can't stop thinking about Emma
  • We're hoping Taylor has to face off against the New Wave, but we're not liking her chances
  • Who would win in a fight: Glory Girl or Lung?


Links:

2.9 - "It Escalated So Far Already"01 Apr 202500:51:54

Jenny and Ted discuss Insinuation 2.9.


Episode Notes:

  • A narratively advisable detente
  • Maybe Rachel is only 67% likely to betray you
  • Is violence good sometimes?
  • Taylor’s power also involves training
  • What’s behind Brian’s smile?
  • Regent and Lisa explain his power
  • Bug’s relationship to pills
  • Danny could be an asset to Taylor
  • The insinuation is going both ways, Taylor!!!
  • A second gun has entered the chat
  • This arc, Taylor is a lying liar who lies
  • The reasons people lie about powers
  • It’s been… checks notes… 17 hours since chapter 3??? And she’s won two fights???
  • Taking a step back, these first two arcs are totally copacetic
  • Briefly, some factors that might go into whether Wildbow wants to revisit Worm
  • Predictions that include a boss-hero conspiracy!!
  • Next interlude: Grace Lands?
  • The name game


Links:

2.8 - "Pure Dominance Thing"28 Mar 202500:46:15

Jenny and Ted discuss Insinuation 2.8.


Episode Notes:

  • Wildbow calls our bluff on a scary cliffhanger
  • Taylor has hidden depths of protagging
  • Is Rachel just Mean Rachel from Animorphs, with a totally different sense of style?
  • Rachel's sibling rivalry feelings are justified
  • We're so satisfied at seeing Taylor take her finger off the off-switch of her power
  • Taylor seems to be better at tactics than strategy
  • Positive echoes of Brandon Sanderson and Naomi Novik
  • Taylor finally gets her boy fight
  • Brian: manipulative schemer or kind of okay?
  • The Undersiders' dysfunction has excellent pacing
  • Can't catch bug girl off guard with some measly darkness!
  • To Taylor, Rachel is always Bitch
  • These are Very Good Dogs (and Rachel is a very good dog trainer)
  • We predict: a missing body part and a heist


Links:

2.7 - "Anyone's Slavering Dogs"24 Mar 202500:43:33

Jenny and Ted discuss Insinuation 2.7.


Episode Notes:

  • The loft feels like (narrative) home
  • Brian’s conscientiousness
  • Is Lisa’s power finding “known unknowns”?
  • Being undercover when dealing with Lisa
  • Quick poll: would you recognize a TiVo?
  • Supervillainy as a teen job
  • The undersides are pretty non-hierarchical?
  • Puppet theory
  • Taylor gets the friend group she is so desperate to have
  • Seeing the good in the bad part of town
  • Conflicting needs for community and purpose
  • Password Corner
  • Predictions


Links:

2.6 - "Such A Chandler"21 Mar 202500:38:28

Jenny and Ted discuss Insinuation 2.6.


Episode Notes:

  • Taylor rushes in
  • Bug scouts
  • She’s got mail
  • Jenny accuses all Lisas and Brians of being old
  • What Lisa sees in Taylor
  • Smart Alec
  • Tall Brian
  • The Undersiders’ ethos is disarming but their boss is intriguing
  • Other teams and capes
  • Is Taylor funny?
  • This is an easy choice for Taylor
  • Dick Corner 2 (ft. Consequences)
  • Friends-casting the Undersiders
  • Predictions and names


Links:

12.x.5 (bonus) - "Her Words Have No Meaning Or Power"09 Jun 202601:48:15

Jenny and Ted discuss Plague 12.x.5 (bonus).


Episode Notes:

  • It’s 10 minutes in before we tell you whose interlude this is
  • We deliver our verdict on this instance of enemies-to-lovers(?)
  • Jenny thinks that if Cauldron needs to call on reinforcements that fate has a loss in store for the Nine (and an ironic mission in store for Battery)
  • Battery’s cop brain and total lack of commitment to her stated values
  • A cautionary Tayl-or, if only she could read it
  • Was either leap of faith taken here worthwhile? As annoying as it is, maybe
  • Seems like the integrity problem extends all the way up to the top of the Protectorate, Legend
  • Heroes without HR are just eoes
  • Letting the sitcom trope play out does such a good job of riling up the reader
  • Did Battery gift of the magi herself here? Get the power to beat Madcap at the cost of letting him get away?
  • Ted really tried to give the ship the benefit of the doubt but then he remembered the likely age difference
  • Wouldn’t it be nice to fly? Too bad we can’t afford it!
  • We haven’t met any idle rich capes or business tycoon capes
  • Where are all the business tinkers?
  • Cauldron’s reach and aesthetics
  • What’s Cauldron for?
  • You can't be morally gray when you're creating Case 53s
  • We want the Case 53 backstories
  • The slippery slope of anonymity
  • Who is this Doctor, really?
  • We go on a vision quest with Battery… but was it a trigger event?
  • Cauldron powers vs. "real" powers
  • Samples and siblings
  • Cauldron capes have a mindfulness advantage
  • Does every voluntary Cauldron client make it out?
  • Battery's battery of reasons for being a battery
  • A long, slow self-kidnapping
  • Batteries and magnets
  • Worm getting global at last
  • Where are all the nemeses we're hearing about?
  • We contemplate our own enrollment as Cauldron clients
  • Coil's Cauldron favor could be a tidy opportunity
  • Oops, seems like Battery might end the world


Links:

2.5 - "The Insinuation Is Real"18 Mar 202500:28:49

Jenny and Ted discuss Insinuation 2.5.


Episode Notes:

  • Smashing a button that says “JENNY WAS RIGHT”
  • A Tale of Two Taylors
  • Theories about red jacket lady and Arcadia High
  • We love Tattletale’s tattle-tude
  • Who’s the leader of the teen villain crew?
  • Extensive predictions about how the “insinuation” will play out
  • How Taylor’s intellect supports her emotional needs
  • Names


Links:

2.4 - "What's Her Damage"14 Mar 202500:33:18

Jenny and Ted discuss Insinuation 2.4.


Episode Notes:

  • Power ranking the trio of bullies
  • Why is Emma the worst, and is it because she has a power?
  • The wily narrative and how it made us grieve Taylor's mom
  • Rethinking Danny’s anger
  • The G in Mr. G stands for Gutless
  • Taylor's analytical mind
  • The gender dynamics of battle
  • The cape in “escape”
  • Predictions


Links:

2.3 - "It's Bigger Than She Is"11 Mar 202500:26:40

Jenny and Ted discuss Insinuation 2.3.


Episode Notes:

  • Taylor’s power is acting up again
  • Calculating bug density
  • Teenagers are so trapped
  • Mr Gladly’s hollow offer
  • Taking credit from Taylor
  • Greg Corner (ft. Sparky)
  • Madison sucks at everything including bullying
  • How have capes influenced society?
  • Predictions


Links:

2.2 - "Obviously Queer"07 Mar 202500:38:31

Jenny and Ted discuss Insinuation 2.2.


Episode Notes:

  • We're nostalgic for Parahumans Online. But can we trust it?
  • Nice of them to coin the term "tinfoil hats"
  • Bitch and Grue are no Lung (who seems like a weird guy btw)
  • Taylor's a savvy internet user and no one's doxxing her except Tattletale
  • Can we imagine Bakuda as a sympathetic bomber? Do we want to?
  • Are there ideological schisms among superheroes?
  • Seems weird that the government doesn't want to register capes
  • Can you dampen powers?
  • Finally, validation for Taylor!
  • Would the protectorate trust a fifteen year old under deep cover?
  • Where are Bitch's fan sites and can we see them please thank you
  • What does magic mean to Taylor?
  • Jenny can't wait to read and write all the TattleTaylor


Links:

2.1 - "Need To Be In Control"04 Mar 202500:27:01

Jenny and Ted discuss Insinuation 2.1.


Episode Notes:

  • Even normal teens have secret identities from their parents
  • Taylor hasn’t had an initiation into the cape world
  • Reluctant about lying but not about heroics
  • Jenny wants to be Taylor’s personal trainer
  • Self-discipline runs in the family
  • Danny pulls off some expert parenting maneuvers
  • Danny’s bug-eyed, wormy appearance
  • Uber and Leet
  • Predictions and name


Links:

12.x - "Teatime"05 Jun 202601:09:19

Jenny and Ted discuss Plague 12.x.


Episode Notes:

  • Jack missed his calling as a normal non-murderous manager, or maybe as a middle school teacher
  • The best we can say about Jack is that maybe he's indifferent to murder
  • What if Jack's deepest desire is just to play a lot of Mafia
  • Or...to be a novelist?
  • This interlude was really the Nine's, not Jack's
  • Did Jack make the deal harder for himself before telling the NIne?
  • The nuances of the tests
  • Jack's fallen into the narrative trap of being too dangerous to our villain-heroes
  • The narrative expendability of our various candidates
  • The surreality of watching overwhelming violence against people you don't care about
  • Imagine the Nine without Jack's control...
  • The discomfort of having Mannequin up first
  • Cherish could become their person on the inside
  • Jenny's looking forward to Noelle being turned loose on these people
  • Who wins in a battle of Jack vs. Tattletale?
  • We digest some carrots
  • Cherish might have enough emotional intelligence to threaten Jack
  • Labyrinth = one blorbo spared
  • Uh-oh...Regent lifts out...
  • Scrub is Jenny's blorbo now
  • I guess we can admit that Bonesaw is pretty cool
  • We identify the classic Wildbow combat move of sudden violence
  • RIP Trainwreck
  • Jack might be a tiiiiny bit pretentious
  • Would Jack be willing to ship of Theseus the Nine?


Links:


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