Earning Her Stripes (Worm AU fanfic)

I hadn't put all this together before in one go, so:

1. Manton stole a vial to give to his daughter. Instead of having a bad reaction, she got usable mid-range powers, and is currently enjoying a career as a moderately popular hero on the West Coast.

2. Because of this, he never took the Siberian formula. When he was confronted over the theft, they gave him a slap on the wrist. He's still working with them (though under tighter surveillance).

3. Because of this, Jack Slash didn't have the Siberian with him when he kicked in the front door to the Davis household. He was met by Riley's dad, who blew his head off with a twelve-gauge shotgun.

4. Because of this, the Slaughterhouse Nine name is now used mainly by edgelord villains who have killed one too many innocents and have Kill Orders or Birdcage sentences hanging over their heads. There's never more than five or six, they cycle through pretty quickly, and they stay away from big cities.

5. Also because of this, the Siberian encounter never happened with the Protectorate. Hero is still alive, and is leading the Protectorate proper since Legend quit under undisclosed circumstances. (He's also head of the Protectorate in New York, and runs the occasional Tinker seminar).

6. As a result, the Triumvirate is a slightly lighter and fluffier version of the OTL one, because Alexandria never had to deal with Hero's death. Hero doesn't quite have Legend's charisma and charm, but he's competent and extremely respected.

7. Also (just for shits & giggles) Hero opposed NEPEA-5, and it ended up dying in committee. There are rules against capes setting up exclusive monopolies using their powers, but they're a lot more forgiving.

(Edit)
8. As a result the Uppermost never made the shift to the Elite. They're still on the good side of the law.

9. Also to do with the Nine, Ravager tried to hire the latest bunch to murder Mouse Protector. She beat them with almost embarrassing ease, then found Ravager and gave her a Behemoth scale wedgie by hanging her from a lamp post by her underwear. Then posted pictures online.

 

Okay.

You know how Legend is out and Hero is still alive?

Cauldron is a lighter, fluffier version of itself.

It's not pulling the same "parahuman feudal experiment" with BB. Winslow is still shit, because Winslow is shit, but the rest of the city has the resources to absorb the people from Winslow.

The teachers* will find other jobs. So will the staff. The students will be placed with other schools.

For most of them, yes, it will be an inconvenience, but only an inconvenience. "Well, okay, no vacation this year."


*Except those found liable by the lawsuit. They're screwed.

 

Crossposted from SB:

Emma:

• The ability to express any purely physical skill to the maximum level of capability possible within her physical limits. She can also analyse what needs to be done.
• For example, if she needs to fight, she can fight to the limit of her own physical capability, and read an opponent's fighting stance and see what they're likely to do before they do.
• Likewise, she can handle any weapon and automatically make use of its options to its maximum possible capability.
• Her body has been pushed to its maximum physical capability (according to her age, weight and body size) in dexterity, strength, endurance and health, and will permanently stay there. As she ages and gains body mass, this will improve.
• Eyesight, hearing and other senses are now as good as they can be for her, and will stay that way. They will not deteriorate with age.
• She will automatically heal microfractures, concussions, minor cuts and bruises overnight, and will heal any nastier injuries as if receiving the very best possible medical care.
• Deeper cuts and broken bones will heal in days, not weeks.

Her whole attitude now is about balance and adaptation to new circumstances.

Madison:

• The innate knowledge of how to build forges and foundries and cutting devices, and operate them to create 'good steel' from common metals.
• The ability to Tinker up extremely durable devices (from good steel) and make them so they don't break or have egregious weak points.
• Her Tinker specialty is tied to 'durable and powerful but overly bulky' as opposed to building certain items. She can theoretically build anything, but she can't build it small or delicate, and she really needs to build it out of good steel. So, no plastic radio earbuds that pick up sound from half a km away (she can build a helmet that weighs 20 lb, can be used to headbutt Lung into submission, and will be able to listen in on Kaiser holding a meeting with the Empire 88 from all the way across town, but not the earbud).
• As a secondary power, she has more endurance and is much more resistant to heat exhaustion. She's also packed on some muscle, just from operating her forge.
• Finally, the basic knowledge of how to operate devices she builds for herself, such as her power armour or her weapons.

(Note that 'good steel' is equivalent to adamantium).

Her mental state is now about stability and reliability.

Taylor:

• Creates a black and white force field (she can manually adjust the pattern, or otherwise it looks like oil on water) that manifests within an inch of her body (including her hair, not including her clothing). Will go over clothing if it's under an inch thick and she wants it to, otherwise it will go under clothing.
• Force field is entirely impenetrable and can not be moved by any amount of force unless she wants it to. It will form automatically to protect her from harm, unless she doesn't want it to. New types of harm will be defended against, even if she is currently holding it off from another type. (She can't be feinted into dropping her shield against something irritating but harmless, then get hit by something that smooshes her).
• By touching something, she can extend a TK-like field around it, with a visible effect that makes it go monochrome, gives it 10x durability and internal integrity, and makes it massless with regard to her (negating all weight and inertia as far as she's concerned). The effect lasts until she lets the item go. If it's moving when she lets it go, inertia kicks in. If it's off the ground, gravity kicks in. Upper limit not yet known.
• Once the field encloses her completely, she's locked off in her own private pocket universe. She can vaguely feel physical impacts transmitted from the outer 'shell', but there's no direct communication, and she cannot be harmed by any means unless the dimensional barrier is first breached. If she's locked off like this, she's got a finite amount of air before she passes out or opens the field.
• The field allows her to 'jump' high and and far, and 'fall' slowly, but she can't fly.

Her mental state is now about doing what she wants to do, rather than bending over backward for a world that doesn't give a shit about her.