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Safe For Work Worm Ideas thread
- Thread starter Prince Charon
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naa wai :3
Nekraa
Nekraa
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Last edited:
AcridComet
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Figure I'd post this here to try to get some feedback. This idea won't leave my head, like, at all.
Basic idea is a Dragon King (a minor exalted splat) wakes up in the Hebert household with no memory of how it got there. I tried to make it more Worm friendly, but... I feel iffy on it...
Dragon Kings Journey
******
The ground beneath your scaly hide creaked. Something was... wrong. This wasn't the grassy bed youd laid down that morning. The ground felt fragile, the grass held a different scratch to it. It was not where you fell asleep, even smelling different. Like rotting fish left to fester, but... everywhere.
And something was bumping against your head. You growl at the annoying thing, your eye cracking open to show you this mostly hairless ape. Taller than others youd seen, with a pale, pink face with scrunched up features. It had some form of leaves wrapped around its body, and held a strange club, black, with a flat circle for a head. And it was prodding you with it. An annoyance, to be sure, but you had invaded its nest. Your eyes fall to slightly behind it, and you see a smaller one, with longer fur atop its head. You suppose that was either its mate or its spawn, with how it stood between you. You growled at it yet again before working your jaw. You felt sore, like you had overslept on pointy rocks.
Wait... since when did you think like this? By now you and your clutch mates would have torn this human apart, without caring for its state of... leaf-donning? Yoh needed a better idea of what the... garment? What that was.
You shake your head, taking time to snap at the club when it comes too close to you. Damned annoying, that monkey. You take in your surroundings as a strange, almost wooden cave, with blueish grass beneath you, seemingly made of something similar to the leaf-wear of the balding monkeys. Maybe they were wearing grass? There was also a strange wood-crystal slab set upon wood carved like a strange beetle, with a set of grass-wove resting patches from it. Some form of resting chamber then?
You pause. Focus. You had your surroundings in check, even though you suspected the monkeys might try to charge you, they were scared of you. You could use that. They were afraid, unlikely to try anything if you didnt move suddenly. And that gave you time to focus on the mystery at claw. The past. How you got there, and why... You were different, that much you knew. Like your heart beating in your chest, you knew youd changed during this transition. Your body ached, strange sensations arcing across your body in exhilarating ways. And on some level... a deep, primal level... it scared you.
What are you?
[ ] [Breed] Anklok: massive brutes with thick, scaly hide, this breed of warrior-priests stalked the southern plains of Creation since time immemorial. These creatures turn to violence first, with even their craftsman preferring to build crystalline weaponry. They have a strong Resistance to their harsh surroundings, placing their Survival above all other things, save their holy War in the name of the sun. They favor the Flickering Fire Path (Moving without thought, you bring your actions quickly), and the Blazing Fire Path (create and manipulate Fire as if it were a part of you). (Brutes, they are Strikers, Blasters, Mover/Thinkers.)
[ ] [Breed] Mosok: Sleek and mobile in the water, this crocodilian Breed is rather slow on land. In the sense of a tank. They are only slightly less hardy than an Anklok, and are far more cunning. They favor Stealth tactics, with a great focus on all pursuits of Larceny, and are more than a match with their fearsome claws. They often favor Martial Arts to calm their mercurial personality. They favor the Flowing Water Path (move as if you are underwater), and the Shimmeting Water Path (disguise your form with a menagerie of illusions). (Brutes, they have a fluctuating Mover rating and a Stranger rating.)
[ ] [Breed] Pterok: this winged Breed controlled the skies in ancient past, but were mainly concerned with the pursuit if knowledge. They were fast and eagle eyed, but tended to prefer pens to blades. The sought the Occult, and ancient forgotten Lore. However, their love of the sky led their Breed to be quite Athletic in all activities. They favor the Clear Air Path (enhance your senses to their full potential) and the Celestial Air Path (Summon the elements and commune with gods). (Mover and Thinker base, they are primarily a Thinker, with a few Master powers.)
[ ] [Breed] Raptok: The most human of all the Breeds, the Raptok were master inventors, masters of plant technologies, and often crystalline ones as well. They are the only Breed able to use human tools or weapons easily. They were well known for their masterful Craftsmanship, their witty banter at Socializing events, and often many often fell in love with the Linguistics of other regions. They favor the Growing Wood Path (turn plants into strange technology), and the Shaping Wood Path (don the power of the forest, and become as hardy as a tree) (Minor Brute, with Mover and Thinker. Primarily a Changer and a Tinker.)
You are Different.
[ ] [Mutation] Dragons Breath: You hold a blazing inferno in your gullet, expelling it with ferocious force. (Moderate blaster power)
[ ] [Mutation] Crystal hide and Large: You are bigger, and your hide has strange, crystalline growths in it. (Moderate Brute power.)
[ ] [Mutation] You felt... smaller, lighter, and... what are those orbs on your chest doing? (Obligatory Monster girl-ification)
[ ] [Mutation] Write in (those who know exalted, 6 mp are free. For everyone else, if you're interested, I'll figure it out.)
You are...
[ ] [Self] Compassionate: You favor the Yielding Earth Path (healing and repairing) or Clear Air Path, and typically favor intellectual problems over physical ones. (Striker or Thinker)
-[ ] which path
[ ] [Self] Valorous: You are Bold, Favoring the Blazing Fire Path or the Solid Earth Path. Violence is your language, Talking can wait. (Tinker, or Blaster/Striker)
-[ ] which path
[ ] [Self] Temperate: You wait, in all ways. Favor the Growing Wood or Solid Earth paths (turn Crystal's into strange technology, and become one with the earth). You prefer to Balance yourself, Often meditating on the state of things. (Tinker)
-[ ] which path
[ ] [Self] Driven: You seek your goals, and let none stand in your way. Favor the Celestial Air Path, or the Shaping Wood Path (Thinker/Master or Changer)
-[ ] which path
[ ] [Self] Write in. Be as basic, or as detailed as you like.
... thoughts on what I can improve/ should improve? I just would like to know... like I said, it won't leave.
Basic idea is a Dragon King (a minor exalted splat) wakes up in the Hebert household with no memory of how it got there. I tried to make it more Worm friendly, but... I feel iffy on it...
Dragon Kings Journey
******
The ground beneath your scaly hide creaked. Something was... wrong. This wasn't the grassy bed youd laid down that morning. The ground felt fragile, the grass held a different scratch to it. It was not where you fell asleep, even smelling different. Like rotting fish left to fester, but... everywhere.
And something was bumping against your head. You growl at the annoying thing, your eye cracking open to show you this mostly hairless ape. Taller than others youd seen, with a pale, pink face with scrunched up features. It had some form of leaves wrapped around its body, and held a strange club, black, with a flat circle for a head. And it was prodding you with it. An annoyance, to be sure, but you had invaded its nest. Your eyes fall to slightly behind it, and you see a smaller one, with longer fur atop its head. You suppose that was either its mate or its spawn, with how it stood between you. You growled at it yet again before working your jaw. You felt sore, like you had overslept on pointy rocks.
Wait... since when did you think like this? By now you and your clutch mates would have torn this human apart, without caring for its state of... leaf-donning? Yoh needed a better idea of what the... garment? What that was.
You shake your head, taking time to snap at the club when it comes too close to you. Damned annoying, that monkey. You take in your surroundings as a strange, almost wooden cave, with blueish grass beneath you, seemingly made of something similar to the leaf-wear of the balding monkeys. Maybe they were wearing grass? There was also a strange wood-crystal slab set upon wood carved like a strange beetle, with a set of grass-wove resting patches from it. Some form of resting chamber then?
You pause. Focus. You had your surroundings in check, even though you suspected the monkeys might try to charge you, they were scared of you. You could use that. They were afraid, unlikely to try anything if you didnt move suddenly. And that gave you time to focus on the mystery at claw. The past. How you got there, and why... You were different, that much you knew. Like your heart beating in your chest, you knew youd changed during this transition. Your body ached, strange sensations arcing across your body in exhilarating ways. And on some level... a deep, primal level... it scared you.
What are you?
[ ] [Breed] Anklok: massive brutes with thick, scaly hide, this breed of warrior-priests stalked the southern plains of Creation since time immemorial. These creatures turn to violence first, with even their craftsman preferring to build crystalline weaponry. They have a strong Resistance to their harsh surroundings, placing their Survival above all other things, save their holy War in the name of the sun. They favor the Flickering Fire Path (Moving without thought, you bring your actions quickly), and the Blazing Fire Path (create and manipulate Fire as if it were a part of you). (Brutes, they are Strikers, Blasters, Mover/Thinkers.)
[ ] [Breed] Mosok: Sleek and mobile in the water, this crocodilian Breed is rather slow on land. In the sense of a tank. They are only slightly less hardy than an Anklok, and are far more cunning. They favor Stealth tactics, with a great focus on all pursuits of Larceny, and are more than a match with their fearsome claws. They often favor Martial Arts to calm their mercurial personality. They favor the Flowing Water Path (move as if you are underwater), and the Shimmeting Water Path (disguise your form with a menagerie of illusions). (Brutes, they have a fluctuating Mover rating and a Stranger rating.)
[ ] [Breed] Pterok: this winged Breed controlled the skies in ancient past, but were mainly concerned with the pursuit if knowledge. They were fast and eagle eyed, but tended to prefer pens to blades. The sought the Occult, and ancient forgotten Lore. However, their love of the sky led their Breed to be quite Athletic in all activities. They favor the Clear Air Path (enhance your senses to their full potential) and the Celestial Air Path (Summon the elements and commune with gods). (Mover and Thinker base, they are primarily a Thinker, with a few Master powers.)
[ ] [Breed] Raptok: The most human of all the Breeds, the Raptok were master inventors, masters of plant technologies, and often crystalline ones as well. They are the only Breed able to use human tools or weapons easily. They were well known for their masterful Craftsmanship, their witty banter at Socializing events, and often many often fell in love with the Linguistics of other regions. They favor the Growing Wood Path (turn plants into strange technology), and the Shaping Wood Path (don the power of the forest, and become as hardy as a tree) (Minor Brute, with Mover and Thinker. Primarily a Changer and a Tinker.)
You are Different.
[ ] [Mutation] Dragons Breath: You hold a blazing inferno in your gullet, expelling it with ferocious force. (Moderate blaster power)
[ ] [Mutation] Crystal hide and Large: You are bigger, and your hide has strange, crystalline growths in it. (Moderate Brute power.)
[ ] [Mutation] You felt... smaller, lighter, and... what are those orbs on your chest doing? (Obligatory Monster girl-ification)
[ ] [Mutation] Write in (those who know exalted, 6 mp are free. For everyone else, if you're interested, I'll figure it out.)
You are...
[ ] [Self] Compassionate: You favor the Yielding Earth Path (healing and repairing) or Clear Air Path, and typically favor intellectual problems over physical ones. (Striker or Thinker)
-[ ] which path
[ ] [Self] Valorous: You are Bold, Favoring the Blazing Fire Path or the Solid Earth Path. Violence is your language, Talking can wait. (Tinker, or Blaster/Striker)
-[ ] which path
[ ] [Self] Temperate: You wait, in all ways. Favor the Growing Wood or Solid Earth paths (turn Crystal's into strange technology, and become one with the earth). You prefer to Balance yourself, Often meditating on the state of things. (Tinker)
-[ ] which path
[ ] [Self] Driven: You seek your goals, and let none stand in your way. Favor the Celestial Air Path, or the Shaping Wood Path (Thinker/Master or Changer)
-[ ] which path
[ ] [Self] Write in. Be as basic, or as detailed as you like.
... thoughts on what I can improve/ should improve? I just would like to know... like I said, it won't leave.
Jack of Olives
Knows just enough to be dangerous.
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It may be the insomnia talking, but I'd say that it works fine.
Then again, I may be a bit biased, as Dragon Kings are an awesome (and underused) splat.
One thing, though: If the quest does end up going the 'tinker' route (because, DK-artifacts are awesome), I'd recommend adjusting the crafting-times to something that isn't measured in 'seasons'.
AcridComet
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I was honestly thinking closer to 'weeks' instead.
AcridComet
Experienced.
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I was planning on it. Though possibly increasing the resource consumption as well... hmmm...
Jack of Olives
Knows just enough to be dangerous.
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Hm... actually, that may be your solution right there; the normal rules for making Dragon King artifacts could still apply, but it can be sped up by adding additional resources.
*shrug* Just a thought.
Prince Charon
Just zis guy, you know?
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Another alternate power, possibly Taylor, but it could be someone else, like Greg Veder: The power to absorb and use vehemic energy, the energy of violence. If there's a fight nearby, the user gets more powerful. If the user is attacked, the user gets more powerful. If the user attacks others, yes, the user gets more powerful.
They might or might not get glowing lines like the guy in the comic, and they might or might not get bigger as they get stronger (it likely depends on what their image of 'strong' is - Alexandria is famous on Earth Bet for her strength, and does not look like a massive body-builder, for example). As seen in this comic, the user is not limited to getting stronger and more durable with greater power, they can use it for a variety of purposes, including making pants out of beats-you-up (which is a bit more versatile than Lung, whom you have likely already made a comparison to).
They might or might not get glowing lines like the guy in the comic, and they might or might not get bigger as they get stronger (it likely depends on what their image of 'strong' is - Alexandria is famous on Earth Bet for her strength, and does not look like a massive body-builder, for example). As seen in this comic, the user is not limited to getting stronger and more durable with greater power, they can use it for a variety of purposes, including making pants out of beats-you-up (which is a bit more versatile than Lung, whom you have likely already made a comparison to).
Prince Charon
Just zis guy, you know?
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When the Undersiders arrive to rob the bank, they find that there's another group of bank robbers already there (which also leads to Lisa recognizing Panacea immediately, since she's arguing with one of the robbers). During the fight with that group (in which Taylor scares the other gang, but also tries to help the hostages to leave so they don't get hurt), yet a third group shows up planning to rob the bank, and ends up in the melee. After a series of confusing events, Amy ends up leaving with the Undersiders by accident (as well as getting a vastly more positive impression of them then she did in canon - for that matter, so do the other hostages, who mostly think the Undersiders are a hero team, since they were pretty obscure before this), and gets dropped off near a bus stop.
Also, Lisa meets a scary little girl named Dinah, who (as Lisa's power informs her) set this all up, so that she could get Lisa to deliver a message to Coil while having fun with people: "Your boss's attempts to kidnap me were funny for a while, but now they're boring, and they're gonna start getting annoying soon. He needs to stop, before I decide to retaliate. He won't enjoy that, but he might survive it." She also suggests that the Undersiders might want to think about getting a new boss, since she's nicer and 'awesomer' than Coil is.
Dinah is still a precog, but she can do more than that. With time and effort, she can modify the probability of events - not like Taylor in It Gets Worse, she has to consciously control it and plan it out (which her precognition helps a lot with, especially as she gets fewer and milder headaches then canon Dinah). The further in the future an event is, the less precise her power is about it, but the easier it is to start making it more or less probable (she actually started planning and modifying the Bank Job silliness a month ago, not too long after she triggered, because she idly wondered how long it would take before avoiding Coil's still-upcoming kidnapping attempts became a chore instead of a game, and her power answered). The more direct help she has, the less effort she needs to put in to making things happen (hence her wanting minions). Dinah is a relatively good person for her age, partly because she's actively reducing the probability of her being corrupted by her power. That isn't to say that she's terribly nice or kind, though, just not as evil or ruthless as you might expect a manipulator who likes having fun with her power to be.
As an interesting side effect, the reports and interviews Armsmaster got from the incident have lead him to think that the bug girl is being a good influence on the Undersiders, rather than them being a bad influence on her. That one Dinah was not consciously aware of, so it might be a legitimate coincidence... or not.
I'm thinking that PHO is going to be the ones to give Taylor her cape name, rather than the Wards, who 'coincidentally' only arrived after the Undersiders had left.
Also, Lisa meets a scary little girl named Dinah, who (as Lisa's power informs her) set this all up, so that she could get Lisa to deliver a message to Coil while having fun with people: "Your boss's attempts to kidnap me were funny for a while, but now they're boring, and they're gonna start getting annoying soon. He needs to stop, before I decide to retaliate. He won't enjoy that, but he might survive it." She also suggests that the Undersiders might want to think about getting a new boss, since she's nicer and 'awesomer' than Coil is.
Dinah is still a precog, but she can do more than that. With time and effort, she can modify the probability of events - not like Taylor in It Gets Worse, she has to consciously control it and plan it out (which her precognition helps a lot with, especially as she gets fewer and milder headaches then canon Dinah). The further in the future an event is, the less precise her power is about it, but the easier it is to start making it more or less probable (she actually started planning and modifying the Bank Job silliness a month ago, not too long after she triggered, because she idly wondered how long it would take before avoiding Coil's still-upcoming kidnapping attempts became a chore instead of a game, and her power answered). The more direct help she has, the less effort she needs to put in to making things happen (hence her wanting minions). Dinah is a relatively good person for her age, partly because she's actively reducing the probability of her being corrupted by her power. That isn't to say that she's terribly nice or kind, though, just not as evil or ruthless as you might expect a manipulator who likes having fun with her power to be.
As an interesting side effect, the reports and interviews Armsmaster got from the incident have lead him to think that the bug girl is being a good influence on the Undersiders, rather than them being a bad influence on her. That one Dinah was not consciously aware of, so it might be a legitimate coincidence... or not.
I'm thinking that PHO is going to be the ones to give Taylor her cape name, rather than the Wards, who 'coincidentally' only arrived after the Undersiders had left.
nick012000
Gone for Good
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Just saw Shazam, and here's an idea: after the battle against Sivana, the Shazam Family spend some time exploring the Rock of Eternity, and find a door to Brockton Bay on Earth Bet. They happen to stumble across Lung ordering his goons to murder children, and naturally object to this. A super-battle ensues which Taylor helps them with, since Lung can just regenerate the damage he suffers from their lightning or super-strength (even if he can't hurt them back because parahuman powers aren't magic), but her bugs are capable of poisoning him. She winds up joining their team, even if she isn't a Champion, and eventually she starts dating Billy.
Then, after the fight against Leviathan, he shares his power with her, and it flows up her connection she has with her shard, and the power of Shazam heals the damage that Scion did to it and unlocks its full power, the same way it fixed Freddy's physical disability and it turns all of them into adults. This promptly kicks off the Scion fight significantly earlier, since he'd immediately notice one of his Shards suddenly gaining significant power and knowledge out of nowhere, before attempting to use its new power to connect to and subsume every other nearby shard into its control - and when he tries to use his typical means to control it, it's completely immune to them.
Then, after the fight against Leviathan, he shares his power with her, and it flows up her connection she has with her shard, and the power of Shazam heals the damage that Scion did to it and unlocks its full power, the same way it fixed Freddy's physical disability and it turns all of them into adults. This promptly kicks off the Scion fight significantly earlier, since he'd immediately notice one of his Shards suddenly gaining significant power and knowledge out of nowhere, before attempting to use its new power to connect to and subsume every other nearby shard into its control - and when he tries to use his typical means to control it, it's completely immune to them.
oof5
Making the rounds.
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Summary: Taylor triggers as a powerful Trump but her power messes with her mind.
January 7, 2011
Not going to school is great. I'm supposed to relax and rest after what happened, except I'm bored out of my mind just sitting around so I decide to take a bus to wander around at the boardwalk. There are a few shops I'm interested in, not that I could afford to buy anything here.
Further browsing is interrupted by some commotion outside so I go see what's up. Turns out to be street performers. There's a guy with some blue metal junk duct taped on him and another guy with red pyjamas chasing after a woman on a green tricycle. Those are rather terrible costumes if that's supposed to be Armsmaster and .. uh .. not even sure about the other guy. Anyway it seems rather amusing so I watch what they're up to.
The 'Armsmaster' guy yells at me "Get out of the way miss! There's a dangerous criminal on the loose."
I chuckle and hold up my hands "Oh sure! I won't get in the way."
He frowns and turns to the guy with the red pyjamas "She must have a cloaking device on that vehicle. Spread out and search."
The woman with the tricycle is holding up her hands in front of her eyes. Oh ... if I can't see you then you can't see me? Haha right, this is a show for children so that makes sense.
I have a hard time containing my laugh. They're so earnest and dedicated to their act. It was at that point I realized I'm the only one watching. They're doing all this for me? That's so nice of them, I needed something like that after ... well everything.
The Armsmaster guy is holding some kind of strange toy in his hand while the pyjama guy just feels around with his hands trying to find the woman sitting on a tricycle in the middle of the sidewalk.
He asks me "Miss did you see where she went?"
I say "Sure", and point at where she sits.
He looks a bit confused but starts walking forward until he almost trips over her and then grabs her and announces "Got her! Console, we apprehended the target. I need a pickup at my location." Uhh, so professional. Pyjama guy takes over watching the woman and the Armsmaster guy walks up to me and asks "How did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Know where she was, even my sensors couldn't pick up anything. Her cloaking method was very thorough."
I snort, he's really good at this. Does he practice holding a straight face while saying the lines? He must. I respond "I don't know, maybe I have powers too heh-heh."
He stiffens "You should join the Wards. We can guide you in using your powers responsibly and offer protection."
Huh, he wants me to join their theater group? "I wouldn't know how to .. I mean .. do what you guys do. I wouldn't be very good at it. You are really good at this and ... uh."
He visibly preens and smiles "It's quite alright, everyone has to start somewhere. The Wards program exists for people just like you. Would you like to meet them? You could ask them yourself what it's like."
It does actually sound kind of fun but hanging out with people my own age? That hasn't gone so well in the last few years. On the other hand, "I guess it might be worth looking into. If there's a chance I could make even one child smile then the least I could do it hear you out." Well that came out a bit more lame than I intended but I find myself meaning it too. Maybe if I can make others happy my shitty life will finally have some meaning.
He smiles again "I understand exactly what you mean. You're a very mature young lady."
I blush at the praise and shrug.
He continues "We can take a car to the headquarters, this way please."
We arrive at the PRT headquarters, which is strange so I point it out "But this is the actual PRT headquarters."
He nods "Yes, we don't have meetings at the Rig as it would complicate travel matters."
Well of course not, we can't just waltz into the Protectorate headquarters. But even here it seems strange to just walk in here. I ask "Won't we get in trouble?"
He says "No, you won't be in any trouble. Even if you decline to join we try to have good relations with heroes. However if you turn to villainy then we will arrest you in costume."
Uhh, what? Oh .. of course, I'm an idiot. He must be one of those people who stays in character all the time for practice. Gah it took me this long to notice, that's so embarrassing.
If he notices my discomfort he doesn't comment, we walk through the doors and into the elevator, nobody stops us. Ahh so maybe these guys are affiliated with the PRT, go around pretending to be heroes for good publicity and laughs. That would explain the PRT building and also why they don't get sued for copyright breach, hero brands are a big deal after all. So this is a government sponsored group? I've never heard of this program before, maybe it's new, and that's why they just asked a random person on the street to join? They'd probably get more people to join if they just explained all this beforehand, and also would have saved me some trouble before I make an even bigger fool out of myself.
He asks "Would you like a mask?" at my confusion he specifies "For meeting the Wards. They will be masked."
Oh, right, the role playing. "No that's ok," then add "I mean you're the heroes after all." Might as well start practising with the role playing too.
He smiles and nods.
We arrive where the 'Wards' are, just as I guessed, their costumes look like crappy versions of their counterparts. There's a guy in a red card-board suit, a little girl with a green skirt and sunglasses and a guy with shiny pants. Is that tinfoil?
The guy in the red suit sticks out his hand and says "Hey, I'm Aegis. The leader of the Wards ENE."
I shake his hand and say "Hey, I'm Taylor."
He points to the girl and says "That's Vista", points to the shiny pants guy and says "that's Gallant." I wave at them. He continues "I heard you helped Armsmaster and Assault capture Squealer, nicely done."
Is he patronizing me? He doesn't look like he meant anything bad by it, but what do I know, I was never good at reading people. No point to be hostile in case he wasn't, "Oh. I didn't really do anything, Armsmaster did all the .. uh .. work. I was just kind of standing there."
He chuckles "Modest too, I like that. So what's your power anyway, some kind of Thinker?"
Huh, is he calling me stupid? ... No, they aren't the Trio, he seems like a friendly person. I realize I hadn't answered and stutter out "Uh, I'm not sure yet."
He nods "That's fine. We could go do power testing while we talk. If it's ok with you, that is?"
I nod along, meeting new people was never my strong suit. Especially now that I've been alone the last few years and haven't really talked to anyone. What am I supposed to even talk about or ask? Emma would probably know exactly what to say.
While I think about that we start to walk somewhere else and I follow. Wait what did he say about power testing? Does he mean role playing with them? "Wait a minute. I'm not good at this, I wouldn't know what to do."
Vista pitches in "That's ok, we'll be there too. If something goes wrong we'll help."
Uhh ok, I guess they just want to see how good I am so they know where to begin. I just hope I don't embarass myself too much. But the fake Armsmaster guy said that 'everyone starts somewhere' so yeah, it'll be fine.
We go to a large gym like room with tons of equipment and gizmos.
Aegis turns to me "So any ideas where to begin?"
I shake my head.
He says "Alright, that's ok. I'll go first. My power is redundant biology and flight." He walks up to a doorway and opens the door, then closes it. Then he points up a finger as if to get attention, holds his right arm behind his back and opens the door with his left hand instead. "See? Redundant biology."
I cover my mouth with my hand and giggle "That's pretty funny."
The three look at me strangely. Aegis says "Uhh, right. Let's see, who wants to go next?" He looks at me meaningfully but I still don't know what to do, I could never come up with funny bits like that.
Vista to the rescue "Ooh, me! I can bend, stretch and twist space." She takes out a sheet of paper and proceeds to fold it together. She shows me the paper and then unfolds the paper again. "Ta-da!"
I don't get it. Whatever it is she looks really proud though, so I say "That's pretty cool."
It seemed to be the right thing to say "YES! Most people say it makes their head hurt but you get it. I think we'll be really good friends."
"Yeah, I'd like that." I could have friends again?
She beams at me and I smile back.
Gallant says "Alright. My power is sensing emotions and firing an emotion blast. It's weird though, I can't sense your emotions properly, you must be a Trump of some kind. Do you mind if I try the emotion blast on you? It won't hurt or anything."
"Uh, yeah sure that's ok."
He proceeds to take a weird stance with his knees bent. He kind of looks like a crab when he does that. He points his palm at me and goes "FOOM".
Huh? Oh this is the part where I'm supposed to act like I got hit with the 'emotion blast' whatever that is. Well they do shows for kids so it's probably happiness blast or something, right? I let out a nervous laugh which sounds kind of not like a laugh at all.
Gallant says "Hmm, that's not what I was expecting."
I blush, guess I did it wrong after all, how embarassing "Sorry."
Vista came to my side "Hey, leave her alone!" She's so nice.
Gallant holds up his palms "No, no. It's not your fault, I didn't mean it like that."
Aegis tried to change the topic "I still haven't showed you my flight!"
He started to skip around the room.
I started to laugh, he is just too silly. The others looked at me strangely again and Aegis asked "What?"
"Oh, nothing. It's just funny."
"H-uuh ... I guess it's a strange thing to see ... Anyway, do you think you could try something like this?"
What, try skipping around without caring what anyone thinks of me? Could I do that? I should try, the others put themselves out there and did silly things in front of me, it would be rude to not even try.
I say "Alright." and started to skip around the room.
Aegis and Gallant looked surprised while Vista clapped and said "That's amazing!"
I blush again "Thanks. It wasn't that great, I just copied what he did. I mean, you guys are doing new things and ..."
Aegis looked to be thinking and asked "Do you think you could try to do what Vista did?"
Hmm do what she did? She just folded the paper. I can do that but won't she be mad at me for stealing her thing? I ask her "Is that ok? I mean that's your thing. I don't want to cause trouble for you."
She said "Of course! That would be so cool if you can do it. We could share all kinds of ideas."
"Oh, ok then. Could I use your piece of paper?" She hands it to me and I fold it once. Then I figure eh, might as well do something fun and fold it into a paper airplane. I throw it across the room.
Their mouths are hanging open, staring at the airplane. Vista screams "HOW DID YOU DO THAT?! It was like all .. WOOP and FOOP and then .. FIIIEEEWW!"
Gallant says "I have no idea what I just saw but it was weird as hell."
Aegis whispered "It's still just sitting there .. on the ground .. all twisted .. and wrong."
Wow, they are really into it. They must be amazing actors with years of experience, I don't think I'd ever be able to fit in here. I felt a bit inadequate actually, even if they let me join them it'd probably be out of pity more than anything. I sighed, they are really nice though.
Aegis snapped out of it finally and said "Excuse me, I need to go speak to Armsmaster. Could you show Taylor back to the Wards room?"
Gallant stopped him "Wait! We can't just leave that ... thing lying on the ground."
"Oh, right. Taylor could you, uh, undo that?"
"Um, sure."
I picked up the airplane and unfolded it back to the sheet of paper and handed it to Vista who accepted it, holding on to the sheet of paper reverently "This is so cool."
Gallant said "Right. Let's go back, I need some aspirin."
This time a boy whose costume had crude clock pictures on it had also joined us in the Wards room. He introduced himself, "Hey, I'm Clockblocker."
"Hey, I'm Taylor."
We shook hands and he didn't let go. That's weird, almost half a minute later and he just held on to my hand. Is he some kind of creep? I yank my hand away and back away. He looks surprised ".. what?"
Vista admonishes him "Serves you right. She's a Trump." She turns to me and explains "Don't mind him, he thinks he's funny but really isn't."
"Ouch"
I look at him with suspicion and say "Ok". He didn't make a good impression but if he was actually dangerous they wouldn't have hired him I guess.
He cries "Don't just accept it like that!"
Vista drags me off to the couch. "I hope you join, we could hang out. You have to show me how you did that .. that .. back there."
Gallant says "Please don't .. show her that is. We would actually love to have you on the team."
I blush again, they're so nice.
"Hebert?! What the fuck?"
Huh? I turn to look and Sophia is there, she has a black burglar mask on like the ones from cartoons but she's still easily recognizable even without hearing her voice "Sophia?! You're a part of this?"
I stand up and start to back away. Is this some elaborate joke? Wait that doesn't make any sense. Emma couldn't rope the whole PRT into one of her schemes .. right? No of course not. But what's the alternative, that Sophia joins a theater group to entertain kids? That's even more absurd than Emma taking over the PRT building for whatever this is.
Sophia stalks closer and growls "What have you been telling them?"
I don't know what to do "I don't .. uhh .. I mean .."
Before I can stammer too much fake Armsmaster and Aegis come back "What's with the yelling?"
Sophia turns to fake Armsmaster and says "Whatever she's been telling you it's a lie."
Fake Armsmaster takes out a small black ball and shakes it. Then he looks at it and says "Outlook not so good."
Sophia is outraged "What, you're taking her side on this? She's a liar!"
Fake Armsmaster says "We should take this to the director's office."
Sophia looks a bit scared but collects herself and says "Fine."
We walk up to the office, it's the Fake Armsmaster, Aegis, Sophia and I. Fake Miss Militia and an older severe looking woman are waiting for us .. wait is that the real Miss Militia? No can't be, she's just holding a normal pistol instead of the green one I remember from TV. That's actually a bit weird, she shouldn't be encouraging kids to play with guns.
What's going to happen now? They'll take Sophia's side no doubt, they always do. They'll probably just kick me out, oh, are they going to put me in jail? PRT puts people in jail right? No, they can't do that this isn't the real PRT division, this is just the theater guys they can't put people in jail. Except, that woman is the real director isn't she? I've seen her on TV for sure.
The director asks "What's going on here?"
Fake Armsmaster steps forward and explains quickly "This young woman is Taylor, she's a new parahuman we encountered today. I extended an offer to come meet the Wards and she accepted. Things were going well and she showed great promise. That's when Shadow Stalker arrived and called Taylor a liar. This is not true. I decided to come and get to the bottom of this here."
Sophia burst out "What? You're taking her side? This is bullshit!"
The director said "Shadow Stalker, be quiet! Miss .. Taylor. What would you say in response?"
Would they listen? Nobody ever listened but these people have been nothing but nice so far. Sophia looks angry but also scared, that did it. If she's scared then they might listen to me. I explain what she's been doing and it takes a while and I start to get a bit teary half-way through but I want to get it over with so I continue explaining.
A couple of things happened that have never happened to me before. The first is that the adults listened, they didn't interrupt or try to wave it away as nonsense. They actually listened.
The second strange thing was that fake Armsmaster kept shaking that weird black ball as I was talking. Is anyone going to say anything about that? No? Ok.
The director turned to fake Armsmaster and he said "It is decidedly so."
Sophia tried to make a run for it. Fake Armsmaster tried to chase after her and she ran around a filing cabinet while the fake Armsmaster stopped at it "Watch out she's using her powers!"
What the hell? Are they just making fun of me? No screw this.
I also ran around the filing cabinet and grabbed hold of Sophia and held her in place. She seems a lot weaker than in school for some reason.
Fake Armsmaster says "Good work! Could you bring her here please?"
I did do that and he proceeded to ziptie her hands together "Special tinker handcuffs. She won't go anywhere with this."
"That's just a zip-tie, though?"
"It's a bit more complicated than that, you see there's three zip-ties here actually but good guess, are you a tinker as well?"
"Uh.. sure why not?"
What an absurd exchange, is he trying to make me feel better? Heh, I guess it's kind of working.
The director asks "Can someone explain what I just saw?"
Hey, that's my line.
Aegis clears his throat "Yes m'am. I believe Taylor can copy powers of others. So far she has shown the ability to fly and warp space. And as we all just saw she phased through that filing cabinet."
I snorted trying to hold in laughter. The director looked completely serious and turned her glare at me. How can she remain so serious? I actually wilt under her glare, she must have monstrous acting skills. Why though? Is she just putting on this show for my benefit?
Oh! Maybe there are hidden cameras or something. I look around a bit trying to find one but don't see any. I guess they're hidden, duh. I wonder if I'll be on TV.
Aegis continues "There's more to it than that. When she imitated Vista's ability she .. uh I'm not quite sure how to explain it, but I've never seen Vista do something like that before."
Fake Armsmaster asked "Could you show us again?"
Aegis pleads "Wait, please. Can I be excused?"
Fake Armsmaster didn't accept the plea and says "No, the meeting is still in progress. Taylor, do you need Vista here to show us?"
Might as well play along "No, I can do it if you want."
I grab a piece of paper and fold it into a paper airplane and throw it. It didn't come out right so it just made a loop and fell on the floor.
Fake Miss Militia shouted "Dear god! What is that thing?!"
Fake Armsmaster jumped back and took a fighting stance.
Aegis just whimpered.
The director stood up and looks at the plane sitting on the floor, "Is it dangerous?"
"What! No, of course not. Well maybe if it flew into someone's eye but that didn't happen."
The director shouted "Into someone's ... Young lady! This is incredibly irresponsible. We could have all died!"
"That's a bit overly dramatic."
The director sighed. "We should evacuate this office and go somewhere safer. I'll call the techs to investigate the .. phenomenon. Hopefully they'll be able to dispose of it safely."
I snicker, the director glares at me again and I try to hold back a smile.
Fake Miss Militia whines "How do we even get out of here. No matter which direction I look or move it seems to be getting closer."
She's so silly, "That's because you're walking towards it."
Fake Miss Militia: "Help!"
"Just stop walking."
Fake Armsmaster: "Taylor, I wouldn't ask you to put yourself into danger like this usually, but you seem to understand the power more than we do. What should we do?"
I groan and walk up to the paper.
Fake Armsmaster yells "Watch out!"
I squint at him and pick up the airplane and unfold it.
Fake Miss Militia takes a relieved breath "Woah, it's gone."
The director says "That could have ended a lot worse. We should go to a conference room, who knows what kind of damage the office may have suffered. I'll have the techs go over it. Or maybe have it destroyed just in case."
Fake Armsmaster says "I concur."
We go to a conference room and the director turns to me "Don't do that again, please."
"Ok."
Fake Miss Militia asks "What even was that?"
"A paper airplane."
Aegis asks "Is that even English?"
Everyone turns to fake Armsmaster "I'm not sure. I know the words but used in this context ..."
The director tries to get the meeting back on track "Well, leaving that aside for now. What are the limitations of your power? If Vista didn't need to be in the same room, is there a range or time limit?"
"Uhh, no?"
They all looked at each other. Miss Militia said "That's incredible."
This is starting to get a bit weird, they're really commited to the act. I say "I should get back home and start dinner."
The director asked "Could you come back tomorrow? We would like to discuss this further. You'd make a valuable addition to the Wards team."
"I guess. It was kind of fun goofing around."
They are kind of nice. It's surprising that the director is in on it but maybe this is how she lets off steam.
PRT Interlude:
Piggot: "We absolutely must have her join the Wards. Being able to copy any power forever after seeing it once? That's beyond Triumvirate level."
Armsmaster: "Agreed. Fortunately she seems amenable to joining and wants to help people. Aegis, how did she get along with the Wards?"
Aegis: "Great, Vista seems to love her and she seems a bit shy but otherwise .. good. I mean .. it's just .."
Piggot: "What?"
Aegis: "Well, she seems a bit odd."
Nods all around.
Aegis: "One moment she is shy and timid. Then I demonstrate my powers and .. well she finds them terribly amusing for some reason. Uhh yeah, at first I was sure she was mocking me, with a power like hers everyone's powers must seem 'cute' in comparison but she seems to be genuinely polite and a nice girl. Then there's the bit with the, uh", he starts to read from the paper, "recursive quantum field distort-.. eh screw it, whatever it was she called that thing she made with Vista's power."
Miss Militia: "Mmh, still gives me a headache just thinking about that thing. It's as if UP stopped existing. How is that even possible?"
Piggot: "Yes, we're still looking into that. She also seems quite flippant about using her power but that's not unusual for capes."
Miss Militia: "Still better than Shadow Stalker."
Aegis: "Most definitely."
Nods all around.
January 7, 2011
Not going to school is great. I'm supposed to relax and rest after what happened, except I'm bored out of my mind just sitting around so I decide to take a bus to wander around at the boardwalk. There are a few shops I'm interested in, not that I could afford to buy anything here.
Further browsing is interrupted by some commotion outside so I go see what's up. Turns out to be street performers. There's a guy with some blue metal junk duct taped on him and another guy with red pyjamas chasing after a woman on a green tricycle. Those are rather terrible costumes if that's supposed to be Armsmaster and .. uh .. not even sure about the other guy. Anyway it seems rather amusing so I watch what they're up to.
The 'Armsmaster' guy yells at me "Get out of the way miss! There's a dangerous criminal on the loose."
I chuckle and hold up my hands "Oh sure! I won't get in the way."
He frowns and turns to the guy with the red pyjamas "She must have a cloaking device on that vehicle. Spread out and search."
The woman with the tricycle is holding up her hands in front of her eyes. Oh ... if I can't see you then you can't see me? Haha right, this is a show for children so that makes sense.
I have a hard time containing my laugh. They're so earnest and dedicated to their act. It was at that point I realized I'm the only one watching. They're doing all this for me? That's so nice of them, I needed something like that after ... well everything.
The Armsmaster guy is holding some kind of strange toy in his hand while the pyjama guy just feels around with his hands trying to find the woman sitting on a tricycle in the middle of the sidewalk.
He asks me "Miss did you see where she went?"
I say "Sure", and point at where she sits.
He looks a bit confused but starts walking forward until he almost trips over her and then grabs her and announces "Got her! Console, we apprehended the target. I need a pickup at my location." Uhh, so professional. Pyjama guy takes over watching the woman and the Armsmaster guy walks up to me and asks "How did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Know where she was, even my sensors couldn't pick up anything. Her cloaking method was very thorough."
I snort, he's really good at this. Does he practice holding a straight face while saying the lines? He must. I respond "I don't know, maybe I have powers too heh-heh."
He stiffens "You should join the Wards. We can guide you in using your powers responsibly and offer protection."
Huh, he wants me to join their theater group? "I wouldn't know how to .. I mean .. do what you guys do. I wouldn't be very good at it. You are really good at this and ... uh."
He visibly preens and smiles "It's quite alright, everyone has to start somewhere. The Wards program exists for people just like you. Would you like to meet them? You could ask them yourself what it's like."
It does actually sound kind of fun but hanging out with people my own age? That hasn't gone so well in the last few years. On the other hand, "I guess it might be worth looking into. If there's a chance I could make even one child smile then the least I could do it hear you out." Well that came out a bit more lame than I intended but I find myself meaning it too. Maybe if I can make others happy my shitty life will finally have some meaning.
He smiles again "I understand exactly what you mean. You're a very mature young lady."
I blush at the praise and shrug.
He continues "We can take a car to the headquarters, this way please."
We arrive at the PRT headquarters, which is strange so I point it out "But this is the actual PRT headquarters."
He nods "Yes, we don't have meetings at the Rig as it would complicate travel matters."
Well of course not, we can't just waltz into the Protectorate headquarters. But even here it seems strange to just walk in here. I ask "Won't we get in trouble?"
He says "No, you won't be in any trouble. Even if you decline to join we try to have good relations with heroes. However if you turn to villainy then we will arrest you in costume."
Uhh, what? Oh .. of course, I'm an idiot. He must be one of those people who stays in character all the time for practice. Gah it took me this long to notice, that's so embarrassing.
If he notices my discomfort he doesn't comment, we walk through the doors and into the elevator, nobody stops us. Ahh so maybe these guys are affiliated with the PRT, go around pretending to be heroes for good publicity and laughs. That would explain the PRT building and also why they don't get sued for copyright breach, hero brands are a big deal after all. So this is a government sponsored group? I've never heard of this program before, maybe it's new, and that's why they just asked a random person on the street to join? They'd probably get more people to join if they just explained all this beforehand, and also would have saved me some trouble before I make an even bigger fool out of myself.
He asks "Would you like a mask?" at my confusion he specifies "For meeting the Wards. They will be masked."
Oh, right, the role playing. "No that's ok," then add "I mean you're the heroes after all." Might as well start practising with the role playing too.
He smiles and nods.
We arrive where the 'Wards' are, just as I guessed, their costumes look like crappy versions of their counterparts. There's a guy in a red card-board suit, a little girl with a green skirt and sunglasses and a guy with shiny pants. Is that tinfoil?
The guy in the red suit sticks out his hand and says "Hey, I'm Aegis. The leader of the Wards ENE."
I shake his hand and say "Hey, I'm Taylor."
He points to the girl and says "That's Vista", points to the shiny pants guy and says "that's Gallant." I wave at them. He continues "I heard you helped Armsmaster and Assault capture Squealer, nicely done."
Is he patronizing me? He doesn't look like he meant anything bad by it, but what do I know, I was never good at reading people. No point to be hostile in case he wasn't, "Oh. I didn't really do anything, Armsmaster did all the .. uh .. work. I was just kind of standing there."
He chuckles "Modest too, I like that. So what's your power anyway, some kind of Thinker?"
Huh, is he calling me stupid? ... No, they aren't the Trio, he seems like a friendly person. I realize I hadn't answered and stutter out "Uh, I'm not sure yet."
He nods "That's fine. We could go do power testing while we talk. If it's ok with you, that is?"
I nod along, meeting new people was never my strong suit. Especially now that I've been alone the last few years and haven't really talked to anyone. What am I supposed to even talk about or ask? Emma would probably know exactly what to say.
While I think about that we start to walk somewhere else and I follow. Wait what did he say about power testing? Does he mean role playing with them? "Wait a minute. I'm not good at this, I wouldn't know what to do."
Vista pitches in "That's ok, we'll be there too. If something goes wrong we'll help."
Uhh ok, I guess they just want to see how good I am so they know where to begin. I just hope I don't embarass myself too much. But the fake Armsmaster guy said that 'everyone starts somewhere' so yeah, it'll be fine.
We go to a large gym like room with tons of equipment and gizmos.
Aegis turns to me "So any ideas where to begin?"
I shake my head.
He says "Alright, that's ok. I'll go first. My power is redundant biology and flight." He walks up to a doorway and opens the door, then closes it. Then he points up a finger as if to get attention, holds his right arm behind his back and opens the door with his left hand instead. "See? Redundant biology."
I cover my mouth with my hand and giggle "That's pretty funny."
The three look at me strangely. Aegis says "Uhh, right. Let's see, who wants to go next?" He looks at me meaningfully but I still don't know what to do, I could never come up with funny bits like that.
Vista to the rescue "Ooh, me! I can bend, stretch and twist space." She takes out a sheet of paper and proceeds to fold it together. She shows me the paper and then unfolds the paper again. "Ta-da!"
I don't get it. Whatever it is she looks really proud though, so I say "That's pretty cool."
It seemed to be the right thing to say "YES! Most people say it makes their head hurt but you get it. I think we'll be really good friends."
"Yeah, I'd like that." I could have friends again?
She beams at me and I smile back.
Gallant says "Alright. My power is sensing emotions and firing an emotion blast. It's weird though, I can't sense your emotions properly, you must be a Trump of some kind. Do you mind if I try the emotion blast on you? It won't hurt or anything."
"Uh, yeah sure that's ok."
He proceeds to take a weird stance with his knees bent. He kind of looks like a crab when he does that. He points his palm at me and goes "FOOM".
Huh? Oh this is the part where I'm supposed to act like I got hit with the 'emotion blast' whatever that is. Well they do shows for kids so it's probably happiness blast or something, right? I let out a nervous laugh which sounds kind of not like a laugh at all.
Gallant says "Hmm, that's not what I was expecting."
I blush, guess I did it wrong after all, how embarassing "Sorry."
Vista came to my side "Hey, leave her alone!" She's so nice.
Gallant holds up his palms "No, no. It's not your fault, I didn't mean it like that."
Aegis tried to change the topic "I still haven't showed you my flight!"
He started to skip around the room.
I started to laugh, he is just too silly. The others looked at me strangely again and Aegis asked "What?"
"Oh, nothing. It's just funny."
"H-uuh ... I guess it's a strange thing to see ... Anyway, do you think you could try something like this?"
What, try skipping around without caring what anyone thinks of me? Could I do that? I should try, the others put themselves out there and did silly things in front of me, it would be rude to not even try.
I say "Alright." and started to skip around the room.
Aegis and Gallant looked surprised while Vista clapped and said "That's amazing!"
I blush again "Thanks. It wasn't that great, I just copied what he did. I mean, you guys are doing new things and ..."
Aegis looked to be thinking and asked "Do you think you could try to do what Vista did?"
Hmm do what she did? She just folded the paper. I can do that but won't she be mad at me for stealing her thing? I ask her "Is that ok? I mean that's your thing. I don't want to cause trouble for you."
She said "Of course! That would be so cool if you can do it. We could share all kinds of ideas."
"Oh, ok then. Could I use your piece of paper?" She hands it to me and I fold it once. Then I figure eh, might as well do something fun and fold it into a paper airplane. I throw it across the room.
Their mouths are hanging open, staring at the airplane. Vista screams "HOW DID YOU DO THAT?! It was like all .. WOOP and FOOP and then .. FIIIEEEWW!"
Gallant says "I have no idea what I just saw but it was weird as hell."
Aegis whispered "It's still just sitting there .. on the ground .. all twisted .. and wrong."
Wow, they are really into it. They must be amazing actors with years of experience, I don't think I'd ever be able to fit in here. I felt a bit inadequate actually, even if they let me join them it'd probably be out of pity more than anything. I sighed, they are really nice though.
Aegis snapped out of it finally and said "Excuse me, I need to go speak to Armsmaster. Could you show Taylor back to the Wards room?"
Gallant stopped him "Wait! We can't just leave that ... thing lying on the ground."
"Oh, right. Taylor could you, uh, undo that?"
"Um, sure."
I picked up the airplane and unfolded it back to the sheet of paper and handed it to Vista who accepted it, holding on to the sheet of paper reverently "This is so cool."
Gallant said "Right. Let's go back, I need some aspirin."
This time a boy whose costume had crude clock pictures on it had also joined us in the Wards room. He introduced himself, "Hey, I'm Clockblocker."
"Hey, I'm Taylor."
We shook hands and he didn't let go. That's weird, almost half a minute later and he just held on to my hand. Is he some kind of creep? I yank my hand away and back away. He looks surprised ".. what?"
Vista admonishes him "Serves you right. She's a Trump." She turns to me and explains "Don't mind him, he thinks he's funny but really isn't."
"Ouch"
I look at him with suspicion and say "Ok". He didn't make a good impression but if he was actually dangerous they wouldn't have hired him I guess.
He cries "Don't just accept it like that!"
Vista drags me off to the couch. "I hope you join, we could hang out. You have to show me how you did that .. that .. back there."
Gallant says "Please don't .. show her that is. We would actually love to have you on the team."
I blush again, they're so nice.
"Hebert?! What the fuck?"
Huh? I turn to look and Sophia is there, she has a black burglar mask on like the ones from cartoons but she's still easily recognizable even without hearing her voice "Sophia?! You're a part of this?"
I stand up and start to back away. Is this some elaborate joke? Wait that doesn't make any sense. Emma couldn't rope the whole PRT into one of her schemes .. right? No of course not. But what's the alternative, that Sophia joins a theater group to entertain kids? That's even more absurd than Emma taking over the PRT building for whatever this is.
Sophia stalks closer and growls "What have you been telling them?"
I don't know what to do "I don't .. uhh .. I mean .."
Before I can stammer too much fake Armsmaster and Aegis come back "What's with the yelling?"
Sophia turns to fake Armsmaster and says "Whatever she's been telling you it's a lie."
Fake Armsmaster takes out a small black ball and shakes it. Then he looks at it and says "Outlook not so good."
Sophia is outraged "What, you're taking her side on this? She's a liar!"
Fake Armsmaster says "We should take this to the director's office."
Sophia looks a bit scared but collects herself and says "Fine."
We walk up to the office, it's the Fake Armsmaster, Aegis, Sophia and I. Fake Miss Militia and an older severe looking woman are waiting for us .. wait is that the real Miss Militia? No can't be, she's just holding a normal pistol instead of the green one I remember from TV. That's actually a bit weird, she shouldn't be encouraging kids to play with guns.
What's going to happen now? They'll take Sophia's side no doubt, they always do. They'll probably just kick me out, oh, are they going to put me in jail? PRT puts people in jail right? No, they can't do that this isn't the real PRT division, this is just the theater guys they can't put people in jail. Except, that woman is the real director isn't she? I've seen her on TV for sure.
The director asks "What's going on here?"
Fake Armsmaster steps forward and explains quickly "This young woman is Taylor, she's a new parahuman we encountered today. I extended an offer to come meet the Wards and she accepted. Things were going well and she showed great promise. That's when Shadow Stalker arrived and called Taylor a liar. This is not true. I decided to come and get to the bottom of this here."
Sophia burst out "What? You're taking her side? This is bullshit!"
The director said "Shadow Stalker, be quiet! Miss .. Taylor. What would you say in response?"
Would they listen? Nobody ever listened but these people have been nothing but nice so far. Sophia looks angry but also scared, that did it. If she's scared then they might listen to me. I explain what she's been doing and it takes a while and I start to get a bit teary half-way through but I want to get it over with so I continue explaining.
A couple of things happened that have never happened to me before. The first is that the adults listened, they didn't interrupt or try to wave it away as nonsense. They actually listened.
The second strange thing was that fake Armsmaster kept shaking that weird black ball as I was talking. Is anyone going to say anything about that? No? Ok.
The director turned to fake Armsmaster and he said "It is decidedly so."
Sophia tried to make a run for it. Fake Armsmaster tried to chase after her and she ran around a filing cabinet while the fake Armsmaster stopped at it "Watch out she's using her powers!"
What the hell? Are they just making fun of me? No screw this.
I also ran around the filing cabinet and grabbed hold of Sophia and held her in place. She seems a lot weaker than in school for some reason.
Fake Armsmaster says "Good work! Could you bring her here please?"
I did do that and he proceeded to ziptie her hands together "Special tinker handcuffs. She won't go anywhere with this."
"That's just a zip-tie, though?"
"It's a bit more complicated than that, you see there's three zip-ties here actually but good guess, are you a tinker as well?"
"Uh.. sure why not?"
What an absurd exchange, is he trying to make me feel better? Heh, I guess it's kind of working.
The director asks "Can someone explain what I just saw?"
Hey, that's my line.
Aegis clears his throat "Yes m'am. I believe Taylor can copy powers of others. So far she has shown the ability to fly and warp space. And as we all just saw she phased through that filing cabinet."
I snorted trying to hold in laughter. The director looked completely serious and turned her glare at me. How can she remain so serious? I actually wilt under her glare, she must have monstrous acting skills. Why though? Is she just putting on this show for my benefit?
Oh! Maybe there are hidden cameras or something. I look around a bit trying to find one but don't see any. I guess they're hidden, duh. I wonder if I'll be on TV.
Aegis continues "There's more to it than that. When she imitated Vista's ability she .. uh I'm not quite sure how to explain it, but I've never seen Vista do something like that before."
Fake Armsmaster asked "Could you show us again?"
Aegis pleads "Wait, please. Can I be excused?"
Fake Armsmaster didn't accept the plea and says "No, the meeting is still in progress. Taylor, do you need Vista here to show us?"
Might as well play along "No, I can do it if you want."
I grab a piece of paper and fold it into a paper airplane and throw it. It didn't come out right so it just made a loop and fell on the floor.
Fake Miss Militia shouted "Dear god! What is that thing?!"
Fake Armsmaster jumped back and took a fighting stance.
Aegis just whimpered.
The director stood up and looks at the plane sitting on the floor, "Is it dangerous?"
"What! No, of course not. Well maybe if it flew into someone's eye but that didn't happen."
The director shouted "Into someone's ... Young lady! This is incredibly irresponsible. We could have all died!"
"That's a bit overly dramatic."
The director sighed. "We should evacuate this office and go somewhere safer. I'll call the techs to investigate the .. phenomenon. Hopefully they'll be able to dispose of it safely."
I snicker, the director glares at me again and I try to hold back a smile.
Fake Miss Militia whines "How do we even get out of here. No matter which direction I look or move it seems to be getting closer."
She's so silly, "That's because you're walking towards it."
Fake Miss Militia: "Help!"
"Just stop walking."
Fake Armsmaster: "Taylor, I wouldn't ask you to put yourself into danger like this usually, but you seem to understand the power more than we do. What should we do?"
I groan and walk up to the paper.
Fake Armsmaster yells "Watch out!"
I squint at him and pick up the airplane and unfold it.
Fake Miss Militia takes a relieved breath "Woah, it's gone."
The director says "That could have ended a lot worse. We should go to a conference room, who knows what kind of damage the office may have suffered. I'll have the techs go over it. Or maybe have it destroyed just in case."
Fake Armsmaster says "I concur."
We go to a conference room and the director turns to me "Don't do that again, please."
"Ok."
Fake Miss Militia asks "What even was that?"
"A paper airplane."
Aegis asks "Is that even English?"
Everyone turns to fake Armsmaster "I'm not sure. I know the words but used in this context ..."
The director tries to get the meeting back on track "Well, leaving that aside for now. What are the limitations of your power? If Vista didn't need to be in the same room, is there a range or time limit?"
"Uhh, no?"
They all looked at each other. Miss Militia said "That's incredible."
This is starting to get a bit weird, they're really commited to the act. I say "I should get back home and start dinner."
The director asked "Could you come back tomorrow? We would like to discuss this further. You'd make a valuable addition to the Wards team."
"I guess. It was kind of fun goofing around."
They are kind of nice. It's surprising that the director is in on it but maybe this is how she lets off steam.
PRT Interlude:
Piggot: "We absolutely must have her join the Wards. Being able to copy any power forever after seeing it once? That's beyond Triumvirate level."
Armsmaster: "Agreed. Fortunately she seems amenable to joining and wants to help people. Aegis, how did she get along with the Wards?"
Aegis: "Great, Vista seems to love her and she seems a bit shy but otherwise .. good. I mean .. it's just .."
Piggot: "What?"
Aegis: "Well, she seems a bit odd."
Nods all around.
Aegis: "One moment she is shy and timid. Then I demonstrate my powers and .. well she finds them terribly amusing for some reason. Uhh yeah, at first I was sure she was mocking me, with a power like hers everyone's powers must seem 'cute' in comparison but she seems to be genuinely polite and a nice girl. Then there's the bit with the, uh", he starts to read from the paper, "recursive quantum field distort-.. eh screw it, whatever it was she called that thing she made with Vista's power."
Miss Militia: "Mmh, still gives me a headache just thinking about that thing. It's as if UP stopped existing. How is that even possible?"
Piggot: "Yes, we're still looking into that. She also seems quite flippant about using her power but that's not unusual for capes."
Miss Militia: "Still better than Shadow Stalker."
Aegis: "Most definitely."
Nods all around.
oof5
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(Different story than my previous post)
Summary: Alt-power Taylor
April 11, 2011
Finally! Today the mandatory four month waiting period after getting my powers expired and I can finally go out to patrol. I'm the protagonist so I get OP alt-powers instead of boring weak-ass ones like everyone else.
I walk the streets trying to look as obnoxious and clueless as possible, hoping someone will try to mug me or pick a fight. Or just how I usually look, I guess.
After several hours walking through the docks nothing has still happened! Is this Brockton Bay or not? I can't even go to the grocery shop without being mugged at least three times and now when I need it - nothing. Just typical.
Eventually after a decade of wandering, or at least what feels like it, I hear some guy telling others to go shoot kids. This is my chance!
I find a bunch of asian guys and yell "Hey asshole!"
All of them turn to look, it appears I need to be more specific, "I mean you, the asshole with the mask."
He says "You're going to die."
I retort "Nuh uh, you .. uh .. will die instead." Well that wasn't good. I wonder if there's a self-help book for bantering with villains. "Look, just .. fuck you!" I jump out of the way as I say the last part.
He tries to grab me but trips and falls on a piece of metal that goes through his neck. It looks like he's paralyzed.
This disappoints me, "Hey! That's not fair I didn't even get to do anything. Get up!"
He does not comply and shouts "I'll kill you!"
I go and remove the piece of metal so he can not be paralyzed anymore, hoping for a fight. After a minute or so he stands up and charges at me again. Now this is more like it!
I hold out my palm towards him but nothing happens, I mutter "No that's not it."
I try hold out my wrist Spiderman-style but nothing happens. "Not that either."
Maybe it's ... "Wingardium Leviosa." Damn it - nothing. What the heck even is my power?
In the mean time Lung has managed to trip over himself a couple of times, stabbed himself in the eye and got caught up in some barbed wire. He now lays on the ground wrapped up in the wire with a nice bowtie, sleeping, for some reason.
What a selfish guy, I just wanted to fight someone and he just decides to have all the fun by himself. All his friends ran away too while I wasn't looking!
Fuck him, maybe I'll find some other villains.
I hear a vulpine whistle sound from my right. I turn to look and there's a blonde girl with a vulpine grin and some other guys. She says "That's impressive. Taking out Lung without even breaking a .. well nevermind, you are rather sweaty."
I answer "I get nervous around people. How did you whistle while grinning?"
The guy with the motorcycle outfit interrupts "Nevermind that. We're the Undersiders, a hit and run small time villain group. When we heard Lung was out for our blood we naturally thought we should just face him head on without coming up with a plan. Looks like it paid off, thanks for that."
"That's fine. It's not like I did it for you or anything."
"Ok, cool. Did you have some beef with Lung?"
"Nah, I was just looking to fuck some shit up."
The girl with the dog mask grunts and nods. She gets it! I wonder if she wants to be friends.
I ask them "Do you know where I can find some more villains?"
The girl with the vulpine blonde hair asks "Oh, you want to join up?"
I clarify "No, I'm an invincible hero of justice. I'll crush all the villains who get in my way and especially those who don't!"
The Undersiders tense up and take a fighting stance. Motorcycle Man asks "You're going to fight us?"
"What! No way. You're good kids."
They look confused.
The girl with the vulpine colored costume whisper-shouts "Regent, what the fuck! Why are you cutting off Lung's ear?"
He stops humming and turns to answer "Hey. It's Lung, figured I could make some cash selling his ear on Ebay."
She groans "You are not bringing that thing back to the lair, besides don't you remember? Ebay doesn't exist, PHO is the only website."
He throws the ear back towards Lung and says "Oh, yeah."
I laugh and say "Classic Regent, am I right? Hah, such good kids."
They look uncomfortable for some reason. The girl turns her vulpine eyes towards me and says "Anyway, we got to go. I'm All_Seeying_Eye on PHO, contact me if you want, or don't. Don't is fine too!"
I give her a thumbs up and say "We're going to be best friends for sure!"
She says "Yeeeaaah..."
They leave more quickly than necessary.
I yawn, "Ahh, I should probably go home and make lasagna."
I hear a motorcycle. Ooh, someone's coming. Maybe they'll fight me.
Armsmaster steps off the motorcycle.
Hmm so that's why the Undersiders left in such a hurry, yep, must be it. They just wanted to get away from Armsmaster because they're 'technically' labeled villains due to all the crimes they committed. The system can be so unfair sometimes.
Armsmaster says "Commence communication protocols. Initialization complete. Are you going to fight me?"
Hmm, that's a good question. On the one hand I want to, on the other hand he's a hero and we're on the same team. On the third hand I really want to and he seems kind of a dick so it's probably fine.
I shout back "Yes!" Now I can definitely find out what my powers are. It is very unlikely that he would be as clumsy as Lung was.
Armsmaster takes a step forward and stops, there's a strange whirring sound and some smoke. He states "No, this shouldn't be possible so it must not be happening." He tries to move forward but falls over instead as his armor appears to have locked up.
I sigh "Yeah, yeah. I know how it is. Just lie there and don't get up on my account."
I start to walk home, dejected. At this rate I'll never find out what my power is.
At least I have a new best friend.
Summary: Alt-power Taylor
April 11, 2011
Finally! Today the mandatory four month waiting period after getting my powers expired and I can finally go out to patrol. I'm the protagonist so I get OP alt-powers instead of boring weak-ass ones like everyone else.
I walk the streets trying to look as obnoxious and clueless as possible, hoping someone will try to mug me or pick a fight. Or just how I usually look, I guess.
After several hours walking through the docks nothing has still happened! Is this Brockton Bay or not? I can't even go to the grocery shop without being mugged at least three times and now when I need it - nothing. Just typical.
Eventually after a decade of wandering, or at least what feels like it, I hear some guy telling others to go shoot kids. This is my chance!
I find a bunch of asian guys and yell "Hey asshole!"
All of them turn to look, it appears I need to be more specific, "I mean you, the asshole with the mask."
He says "You're going to die."
I retort "Nuh uh, you .. uh .. will die instead." Well that wasn't good. I wonder if there's a self-help book for bantering with villains. "Look, just .. fuck you!" I jump out of the way as I say the last part.
He tries to grab me but trips and falls on a piece of metal that goes through his neck. It looks like he's paralyzed.
This disappoints me, "Hey! That's not fair I didn't even get to do anything. Get up!"
He does not comply and shouts "I'll kill you!"
I go and remove the piece of metal so he can not be paralyzed anymore, hoping for a fight. After a minute or so he stands up and charges at me again. Now this is more like it!
I hold out my palm towards him but nothing happens, I mutter "No that's not it."
I try hold out my wrist Spiderman-style but nothing happens. "Not that either."
Maybe it's ... "Wingardium Leviosa." Damn it - nothing. What the heck even is my power?
In the mean time Lung has managed to trip over himself a couple of times, stabbed himself in the eye and got caught up in some barbed wire. He now lays on the ground wrapped up in the wire with a nice bowtie, sleeping, for some reason.
What a selfish guy, I just wanted to fight someone and he just decides to have all the fun by himself. All his friends ran away too while I wasn't looking!
Fuck him, maybe I'll find some other villains.
I hear a vulpine whistle sound from my right. I turn to look and there's a blonde girl with a vulpine grin and some other guys. She says "That's impressive. Taking out Lung without even breaking a .. well nevermind, you are rather sweaty."
I answer "I get nervous around people. How did you whistle while grinning?"
The guy with the motorcycle outfit interrupts "Nevermind that. We're the Undersiders, a hit and run small time villain group. When we heard Lung was out for our blood we naturally thought we should just face him head on without coming up with a plan. Looks like it paid off, thanks for that."
"That's fine. It's not like I did it for you or anything."
"Ok, cool. Did you have some beef with Lung?"
"Nah, I was just looking to fuck some shit up."
The girl with the dog mask grunts and nods. She gets it! I wonder if she wants to be friends.
I ask them "Do you know where I can find some more villains?"
The girl with the vulpine blonde hair asks "Oh, you want to join up?"
I clarify "No, I'm an invincible hero of justice. I'll crush all the villains who get in my way and especially those who don't!"
The Undersiders tense up and take a fighting stance. Motorcycle Man asks "You're going to fight us?"
"What! No way. You're good kids."
They look confused.
The girl with the vulpine colored costume whisper-shouts "Regent, what the fuck! Why are you cutting off Lung's ear?"
He stops humming and turns to answer "Hey. It's Lung, figured I could make some cash selling his ear on Ebay."
She groans "You are not bringing that thing back to the lair, besides don't you remember? Ebay doesn't exist, PHO is the only website."
He throws the ear back towards Lung and says "Oh, yeah."
I laugh and say "Classic Regent, am I right? Hah, such good kids."
They look uncomfortable for some reason. The girl turns her vulpine eyes towards me and says "Anyway, we got to go. I'm All_Seeying_Eye on PHO, contact me if you want, or don't. Don't is fine too!"
I give her a thumbs up and say "We're going to be best friends for sure!"
She says "Yeeeaaah..."
They leave more quickly than necessary.
I yawn, "Ahh, I should probably go home and make lasagna."
I hear a motorcycle. Ooh, someone's coming. Maybe they'll fight me.
Armsmaster steps off the motorcycle.
Hmm so that's why the Undersiders left in such a hurry, yep, must be it. They just wanted to get away from Armsmaster because they're 'technically' labeled villains due to all the crimes they committed. The system can be so unfair sometimes.
Armsmaster says "Commence communication protocols. Initialization complete. Are you going to fight me?"
Hmm, that's a good question. On the one hand I want to, on the other hand he's a hero and we're on the same team. On the third hand I really want to and he seems kind of a dick so it's probably fine.
I shout back "Yes!" Now I can definitely find out what my powers are. It is very unlikely that he would be as clumsy as Lung was.
Armsmaster takes a step forward and stops, there's a strange whirring sound and some smoke. He states "No, this shouldn't be possible so it must not be happening." He tries to move forward but falls over instead as his armor appears to have locked up.
I sigh "Yeah, yeah. I know how it is. Just lie there and don't get up on my account."
I start to walk home, dejected. At this rate I'll never find out what my power is.
At least I have a new best friend.
TanaNari
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Can I buy some drugs from you?
oof5
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Sorry, I already took all of them.
evildice
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I am not interested in where you took the drugs, but I'm somewhat interested in where the drugs took you.
Prince Charon
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In an attempt to deal with the academic sabotage portion of the bullying, Taylor goes to the public library and looks through books on speed-reading and memorization. Not all techniques work for everyone, and not to the same degree, but she finds some of both that work pretty well for her, and very quickly memorizes her school books. Then she memorizes more books, because she has all this time that she would otherwise need to expend on studying, and she likes reading. Combined with her intelligence and creativity, she can do pretty well at faking a low-level Tinker or Thinker (potentially even a mid-level Thinker with enough build-up), and while you can't really learn martial arts just from books, they can get you started, as well as help you learn some dos and don'ts of exercising. That doesn't mean that she won't trigger, but it's not implausible (relative to other Worm fics) for her to go out as a hero and do decently well, perhaps triggering later on (or she triggers before going out, but people get completely the wrong idea about her power because of her skills).
One idea that I had for her accidental debut is that on a cold-but-bright winter day (which is an option in some places), Taylor is out wearing a scarf, a hoodie, jeans, boots, gloves, and the sort of sunglasses that you can wear over your eyeglasses - which looks like a starter costume - and carrying a couple of self-defence gadgets (and maybe one or two other items, if she's planning to test some). She stumbles across one of Uber and L33t's game-tribute crimes, and ends up forcing them to retreat, while looking more badass on camera than she feels in her head at the time. She wasn't (consciously) planning on becoming a superhero, she just made some things as a new hobby, and made taser-gloves or something in case she needed to defend her self, because a girl in a dangerous city needs to be careful. Now, though, there's a thread on PHO about her, and the PRT and press are trying to come up with an official cape-name for her.
Optionally, she triggers from stressing out over the fact that people think that she's a cape when she isn't. Ironic.
Another option is that she later goes out in about the same clothes, and ends up in a fight with someone way above what she can handle, and triggers then, from thinking she's about to die.
One idea that I had for her accidental debut is that on a cold-but-bright winter day (which is an option in some places), Taylor is out wearing a scarf, a hoodie, jeans, boots, gloves, and the sort of sunglasses that you can wear over your eyeglasses - which looks like a starter costume - and carrying a couple of self-defence gadgets (and maybe one or two other items, if she's planning to test some). She stumbles across one of Uber and L33t's game-tribute crimes, and ends up forcing them to retreat, while looking more badass on camera than she feels in her head at the time. She wasn't (consciously) planning on becoming a superhero, she just made some things as a new hobby, and made taser-gloves or something in case she needed to defend her self, because a girl in a dangerous city needs to be careful. Now, though, there's a thread on PHO about her, and the PRT and press are trying to come up with an official cape-name for her.
Optionally, she triggers from stressing out over the fact that people think that she's a cape when she isn't. Ironic.
Another option is that she later goes out in about the same clothes, and ends up in a fight with someone way above what she can handle, and triggers then, from thinking she's about to die.
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evildice
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+1 for this, it's the most meta trigger I can think of without actually breaking the 4th wall.
Prince Charon
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There are plenty of fics where Taylor triggers and becomes a cape, and a few where she becomes a cape without triggering, but I can't recall any where she becomes a cape and then triggers.
What power might she get from it, though? It sounds like a Tinker and/or Thinker trigger (which is what people already think she is), but that's not the only option, and there are a pretty wide range of possible Thinker and Tinker powers, even without going into the other categories.
evildice
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Trump, because her problem is having too many parahumans giving her shit about being a cape.
Prince Charon
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When Taylor plans to infiltrate the Undersiders, she decides to do some research, first. This includes reading a series of books from Earth Aleph called How to Succeed in Evil, that she found at the used book store (or library, whichever). Things go off the rails pretty quick.
Sydonai
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Well, one year closer to the apocalypse I guess.
Prince Charon
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No, that wouldn't be fun.
Any time an author tells you that the scenario that they wrote is the best of all possible worlds, or the only way to possibly get a good result, ignore them: they're either massaging their egos or making a doomed and pretty pathetic attempt to prevent fanfiction... or both. This is especially true if the story they wrote is grimdrep, like Worm.
Sydonai
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No, I meant that the book was published in 2012 while the Worm storyline starts in 2011.
So the characters would literally have a year less to prepare for the apocalypse that happens in 2013.
Prince Charon
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Ah, OK. Hadn't checked that, because a lot of ideas like this fudge publication dates, and Taylor would be preparing to infiltrate the Undersiders early on, not after she'd already left. When did the podcast start?
Sydonai
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How to Succeed in Evil is IIRC July 2012, Worm says June 2011.
Taylor triggered in January, spend a week in a psych ward and goes back to school at the end of the month, starts running in February.
On Feb 24th Ziz attacks Canberra.
The Juice-on-my-head incident is on April 8th, and Taylor finishes her costume and goes out to encounter Lung on the 10th.
evildice
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Simurgh's future simulations might include podcasts from arbitrary alternate worlds. It's just audio data, and she fuckin' loves to sing.
An accident involving Haywire and Phir Se might open a portal to an alternate world's future, but only for internet data. This would explain how the Wayback Machine works, for example, or why Geocities always looked like an ancient relic even when allegedly new.
Prince Charon
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True. Alternatively, it could've just been published a year or two earlier on Earth Aleph than it was on our Earth.
evildice
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Feh, you and your perfectly reasonable explanations which don't require any magical space-whale physics-rape.