Taylor Hebert prepares to be a superhero, assisted by Taylor Hebert, Taylor Hebert, Taylor Hebert, Taylor Hebert, and Taylor Hebert. They're not physically present, but they're there in spirit (and shard).
Taylor crept into the basement, slowly, quietly, carefully. Making sure she didn't wake her dad, or run into him getting a midnight snack, or something. None of the problems she was thinking about were likely, but all of them seemed possible. Once she got into the basement, she crept over to the old coal chute where she'd stashed her superhero supplies.
Should I really go out tonight? Taylor wondered. It's not even spring yet.
Better sooner than later, a voice in her head said. It's easy to procrastinate on this sort of thing until something forces your hand.
You can't be too careful with this sort of thing.
I'm not sure I'll ever be ready, tonight's as good a night as any.
Weaver says it's a good idea, and I'm willing to believe her. Which I think settles that.
I could technically get a fifth opinion.
Do you have to?
We need Wonder Weapon's power to make sure her tech's in working order, Weaver pointed out. Whether our host wants to listen to her advice is another thing, of course.
Taylor felt a pulse of anticipated irritation from Lotophage. She'll give us advice either way.
Can't hurt to hear her out, right?
Taylor pulled her superhero equipment out of the coal chute. Her suit, her utility belt, her helmet, and the two drones Wonder Weapon had completed in the past two months. Taylor quickly checked over the suit and belt.
The former was a mixture of clashing costume ideas, but it looked alright for a home-made costume made out of bug gunk and old t-shirts. Weaver and Skein handled most of the design; Weaver suggested practical elements, Skein made them look alright. They mostly agreed with each others' ideas, except when it came to the sleeves—Skein wanted to go sleeveless, something to do with her power, but Weaver didn't want to leave their arms undefended. Lotophage suggested big, loose sleeves, a compromise that neither one really liked.
On the whole, the costume looked a homemade sci-fi spaceman costume was repurposed for a superhero costume, except baggier. It was mostly made out of raw silk, courtesy of the spiders Weaver controlled, but with some accents and accessories made out of cloth. The most prominent feature was a small yellow-and-white cape, Cirrus's idea. She really wanted a cape, and nobody else cared much one way or another.
The utility belt was practical. It had been a blocky, rugged thing made of plastic and fake leather; Skein covered most of it with cloth, so it would almost match the rest of the costume. It had a bunch of handy things in its compartments—a change purse with change and cotton balls, pepper spray, a notebook, a map of Brockton Bay, smelling salts, chalk dust, and more. Weaver suggested a bunch of things to get, and the others suggested some more; Taylor had picked up basically everything they asked for, though some of it had been scrapped for parts.
Time to check the tinkertech, I guess. Taylor pulled Wonder Weapon's voice out of the mob, feeling Lotophage's slip away.
Finally.
Taylor gave Wonder Weapon control of her hands, but watched them closely. Weapon was a villain, and worse, a Nazi. Taylor needed Weapon's help, but she couldn't trust her.
Wonder Weapon slipped the silvery gray helmet over her head. Symbols flashed before their eyes as the helmet confirmed that it was Taylor wearing the helmet. After a couple seconds, the helmet's internal display resolved into a handful of AR elements laid on top of Taylor's view of the basement. Wonder Weapon activated one with her mind, then another and another, opening menus and submenus, running subroutines and checking data readouts.
Everything checks out. I hear we're going out?
Yeah. Why, what do you think?
I think we should go down the Docks. Look for some lootingBZZZor someBZZZZmuggers or—getting real tired of that, Weaver.
You didn't stop your shit when we got tired of it.
Taylor pushed Wonder Weapon out of her head, letting Lotophage back in.
...yeah, what Cirrus said, Skein mumbled belatedly.
Taylor tuned out Wonder Weapon's muffled voice. Alright, we've heard her suggestion. Check out the Docks, look for some...um...robbers to fight. What about the rest of you?
My suggestion's still the same. Patrol up by the Ruby Dreams casino. With Cirrus's power and Weapon's tech, we should be able to make it there in less than an hour.
Why do you want us to go there specifically, anyways?
Something happens there tonight. Trust me.
I get that you're from the future and know stuff, but why can't you just tell us about it directly?
I don't trust that you guys would make good decisions if I just told you everything. I know I wouldn't have at your age.
You're two years older than me.
I made a lot of bad decisions two years ago.
I don't see us convincing Weaver to spill the beans tonight, so...does anyone else have thoughts on how we should spend our first night out? I'm thinking we should hit the Boardwalk.
Taylor frowned. She didn't really want to go there, but she didn't want to admit why either.
Think about it. Stopping a robber at the Docks gets us an official thank-you card from some shipping company, stopping a robber on the Boardwalk might actually get people's attention.
That's not always a good thing.
I kinda want to punch some Nazis, just to spite Weapon. So let's patrol downtown.
The voices in Taylor's head were quiet.
That just leaves Skein.
...I realize the rest of you are really gung-ho about this, but...trying to fight villains alone is dangerous. Instead of patrolling for villains, maybe we should look around for other heroes to patrol with.
Good idea in theory, but good luck getting anyone to trust you. You have a bit less working against you than I did, but I still can't think of anyone who'd accept you as you are who I wouldn't warn you against.
I kinda wish Weapon was here.
Huh? Why?
She'd probably say something about how the Empire would accept you because you're white, and I bet Weaver would have a witty comeback. Like, "Yeah, that's who I was talking about."
...That's kind of a lame comeback, and I don't think I could think of something wittier to say. For the record, though, I was thinking more of the Wards. Right now, the PRT teams have some people you don't want to get involved with.
Taylor nodded. She'd toyed with the idea of joining the Wards—it was the path of least resistance, even if it could just hold a new pack of bullies. But Weaver warned that there was one practically sadistic Ward and a few other people she wouldn't trust, "at least not right now". The other Taylors had their own advice, inspired by their own cape experiences; Lotophage formed her own team, Skein fought to protect her neighborhood with another rogue, and of course, Weapon was a devoted member of Empire 88. For all they had in common, they became very different people; disagreements were common, even when Weapon wasn't around.
They expected her—their host—to make the final decision. On some level, it had to be her decision. Taylor controlled her body, except when she let one of the others control it, and she could take that control back whenever she wanted. But most of the time...she didn't want to.
Ever since that day in the locker room, making decisions herself was paralyzing. There were so many possibilities, so many consequences, so many uncertainties. But she had people she could ask for advice at any time—so many people, watching everything she did. All she had to do was listen.
[X] Patrol the Docks and try not to racially profile anyone [Wonder Weapon, kinda]
[X] Check out the Ruby Dreams casino [Weaver]
[X] Hit the Boardwalk [Lotophage]
[X] Go downtown, maybe punch a Nazi [Cirrus]
[X] Look for another superhero to patrol with [Skein]
[X] Write-in [MOB]
I've had this Quest idea for a while, and I've finally finished the first post. Hopefully some people find it interesting, and hopefully I meet their expectations. Most hopefully of all, I hope that I can explain how host-Taylor's power works clearly enough for everyone to follow along, before anything happens that requires detailed knowledge of how it works.
I can only hold four of them in my head at once, but there are a bunch more outside that I can hear—some more clearly than others, of course. I don't know if they're all superheroes or not. Surely there must be some mes who aren't?
All of us are named Taylor, so we instead call each other by our cape names (planned cape name, for Cirrus). I don't have one yet, so the other Taylors call me their host.
Skein
The first voice in my head. I'm glad it was someone like her. She's not much help when it comes to superhero skills, but it's nice to talk with someone who understands my problems. She's been having trouble these past few weeks, though.
Personality: Glass houses, but Skein has really awful self-esteem. I sometimes wonder if that's something all Taylors have in common (until I remember fucking Weapon). Skein's seems worse than the other mes, though. She also doesn't like speaking up or being the center of attention, which might be a self-esteem thing? I don't know, I'm not a psychiatrist. I hope Parian's as nice as Skein says she is, otherwise...it would probably be easy to take advantage of her.
Skein's said she finds my head relaxing, because she doesn't have to keep her guard up. Maybe she's different when she's around people who aren't me. It's a weird thought.
Power: I'm actually not sure. I didn't know I could copy other Taylors' powers until almost a week after I triggered, so I didn't think to ask for a while. Skein isn't eager to explain her power, and I don't want to push her. She doesn't seem to think it would be useful for much, anyways.
Skills: She knows a lot about fashion and tailoring and other clothes stuff, and her artistic fundamentals are stronger than mine. She considers that her strongest skill, and I find it hard to argue.
It sounds like she's a pretty good cook, too. She said she cooked dinner pretty often before Leviathan, and she's been doing it even more now that she's protecting dozens people. She especially liked baking (casseroles if she couldn't convince Dad to let her make pastries), but she's had to mostly make stews since then. They're pretty good stews, though!
Skein learned judo when she was little, but it's pretty rusty. She's been practicing again since she became a superhero (and trying to teach Parian). Her hand-to-hand combat skills are a lot worse than Lotophage's, let alone Weaver's, but they're also a lot different.
Academically, her strongest non-art subject is science. Lately, she's been learning a lot about urban survival, what with the devastation her Brockton Bay is going through. How to scavenge supplies and deal with vermin and make scarce canned food last and stuff.
History: We've talked a lot. It sounds like her past is a lot like mine, but there are some differences.
Her Emma didn't stop being friends with her until a few months into high school. (Her Emma was bullied, too, at first—Skein didn't explicitly say this, but I assume her Emma distanced herself from Taylor to avoid being bullied.) And it sounds like Julia took a more central role in Skein's bullying, so she probably faced less physical abuse and more insults.
She got her powers in February, about three and a half months ago. She went on a couple of superhero patrols, encouraged by me and the other Taylors, but didn't do much actual superhero stuff before.
A few weeks ago, Leviathan attacked Skein's Brockton Bay. Her house was destroyed, but she and her Mom found another parahuman, Parian, to live with. Since then, she's helped Parian defend their part of Brockton Bay, their families and new neighbors. She's been busy since then.
Weaver says that happened in her world, too. I wonder if I should tell someone. But who would believe me?
Wonder Weapon
An avid member of Empire 88 who I try to avoid talking with as much as possible.
Personality:Really racist, and really confused why the rest of us aren't. Arrogant and stubborn, in a way that either causes or stems from difficulties assessing her own capabilities. I can't tell if her atrocious people skills are a result of all of that or a separate issue.
She doesn't like being called a Nazi. Says she's just an identitarian, whatever that means. (Skein says it's BS.)
Power: Tinker, building large numbers of drones controlled with a mind-machine interface helmet. She's built a basic helmet and a couple drones, though she hasn't actually explained how they work, wanting to force me to let her handle the tech. I've figured out basic functions, but that's about it.
Skills: Knowledgeable about technology, even beyond her tinker powers. Surprisingly good at math and English classwork. Claims to be good at carpentry, but I haven't had the opportunity or inclination to test that.
History: Unclear. Judging by her assumptions about everyone else, her dad is probably also a racist, maybe even a member of Empire 88? (I try not to talk to her.)
She likes to remind the more isolated Taylors that she actually has friends. Sounds like she's not friends with Emma any more, though—I think her friends are all other Nazis.
Lotophage
The youngest of us. She's barely started high school, yet she has the second-most hero experience. She and Weaver seem to get along.
Personality: It took me a while to understand Lotophage. She's a lot more forward than the rest of us, but that's not because she's confident. She's just more anxious about what would happen if she doesn't say anything than about saying things. That anxiety aside, she's pretty cautious; she doesn't feel comfortable going anywhere without a plan.
Lotophage's idea of heroism seems more...PR-focused than the rest of us. She blames it on someone named Glenn.
Power: Complicated; involves pulling ideas, dreams, and short-term memories from nearby people to construct multifaceted illusions around other people. (Or the same people.) Theoretically possible to cultivate these illusions over time to turn a whole area into whatever she wants; in practice, the illusions are very fragile if not created in the right circumstances and properly maintained.
Lotophage says it works best on isolated people who aren't paying attention to their surroundings and/or are in a bad mood. The more people who see the illusion, the more stress it's put under; it'll break almost before it forms if more than a couple people are present, unless the illusion is very simple (hiding the noise of someone hiding in a bathroom stall, for example).
As a side effect, she can sense when other people are nearby and has a vague idea of what they're thinking. It's basically impossible to figure out what images come from what people if you don't already know what the people around you, but just sensing people is handy.
She made a lot of notes about her power—way more than I've written here. Even Weaver's impressed.
Skills: Very fastidious and organized—good at making schedules and sticking to them. Good at forging documents. Best subjects are math and science, but she hasn't really been focused on school.
She carries a staff in costume—partly for the aesthetic, partly to whack people with. She's gotten pretty good at whacking people with sticks.
History: Her Dad fell apart when Mom died, and didn't put himself back together. Lotophage had to support him, which worked for a while but fell apart fast. She didn't want to talk about how Dad's doing now, so...
She got powers and joined the Wards in 8th grade, but that didn't really work out. She and another Ward, Standstill, formed a team with a teen vigilante, Navel. She's been a hero about six months, and has been on her new team for too long. The rest of her team likes picking on some villains called the Merchants, but they mostly leave big fights to the big teams.
Weaver
A veteran hero with lots of advice. She avoids telling us much about herself, but it's obvious that she's seen some shit. All of us respect her.
Personality: She's not even 18 and she's already super jaded. She is strong-willed, ruthless, and has a strong sense of justice...but she's also pretty secretive.
Power: Weaver controls bugs—insects, spiders, worms, crabs, all sorts of things. She can even use their senses, to some extent. She has some tricks for making that more effective, but it sounds like most of them require a lot of prepwork.
More importantly, her power gives her some kind of enhanced multitasking, which seems like it could help me pull off cool maneuvers using multiple powers under pressure. If I had cool maneuvers to pull off.
Skills: All sorts of cape stuff, from hand-to-hand combat to power analysis. She either has an encyclopedic knowledge of Brockton Bay's cape scene and recent history, or reviewed her old hero notes after I grabbed her. Possibly both. She's also pretty good with computers and English class.
History: She plays her cards close to her chest, but it's clear she's gone through some shit. Gang wars, Endbringer fights, and who knows what else. She even alluded to fighting the Slaughterhouse Nine once. Sounds like she's made and lost hero friends.
Cirrus
Cirrus has as much hero experience as me—that is to say, none. She's pretty good with people, though, at least for me. She's relatively extroverted, has a good eye for deception, and is absolutely inscrutable. I've known her for a month, but I still barely know more about her than what she's directly told me.
Personality: I feel like I'm missing something important. Sometimes Cirrus is chill, willing to go with the flow, but sometimes she's the opposite of that. She really hates Weapon, for instance.
I'd say she's generally the most optimistic out of us. Ominous, since she's also the least experienced.
Power: Hard to find a good way to phrase this. Cirrus produces gas, and flies. After making a puff of gas, she's pushed in the opposite direction, and sort of floats for a moment. I've tried—it feels neat, but you need to either puff more gas before you start to fall or make sure you're flying over a soft surface. She can theoretically float indefinitely with her power, but it leaves her out of breath after a while, and I'm tiring way more quickly than she would. Another reminder that I need to exercise more.
Cirrus says it's unpleasant to breathe in her gas, so...try not to. Weaver notes that most powers don't affect the user, and wonders if it's actively toxic to people who aren't Cirrus. So probably don't puff it at people, and keep her in my head until her gas dissipates.
Skills: Good at reading people. Also history and math, and card games, and computer programming.
Channeling Cirrus messes with my sense of direction, except when I'm hovering.
History: It sounds a lot like mine and Skein's, except that her Dad drowned instead of Mom. It also sounds like her trio was a lot more...experimental. Which sometimes turned out alright, but sometimes not. Oh, and one of Mom's friends deals her into weekly poker games. (She assures us they're not playing for cash.)
She only got her powers about a week before I first pulled her out of the mob. Weaver and Lotophage have been giving her advice, too.
Characteristic
Host Taylor
Skein
Wonder Weapon
Lotophage
Weaver
Cirrus
Brawn
2
3*
2
2
3
2
Athletics
3
3
3
4
4
3
Dexterity
3
3
4
3
3
3
Wits
4
4
3
3
4
4
Social
2
1
2
2
3
3
Knowledge
3
4
2*
3
4
2
Guts
3
3
2
3
5
3
Skills:
Athletics 1
Bluff 1
Computers 1
Math 1
Music (flute) 1
Stealth 1
Acrobatics 2
Athletics 2
Artist (clothing) 2
Artist (general) 1
Bluff 2
Cooking 2
First Aid 2
Judo 1
Observation 1
Science (miscellaneous) 1
Stealth 1
Streetwise 1
Urban Survival 2
Aerobatics 1
Athletics 1
Carpentry 2
Engineering (Electronics) 1*
First Aid 1
Intimidate 1
Literature 1
Math 2
Occultism 2
Stealth 2
*Not counting power effects
Athletics 2
Bluff 2
Emblems (cape)† 2
First Aid 1
Forgery 3
Melee weapon (Staff) 1
Organization 2
Stealth 2
†Recognizing and designing logos, hero symbols, and other...well...emblems.
Athletics 2
Bluff 3
Brawling 1
Computers 1
First Aid 1
Hidden Lore (Cauldron) 2
Intimidate 3
Leadership 2
Literature 2
Melee weapon (knives) 2
Music (flute) 1
Observation 3*
Persuade 1
Sense Motive 2
Stealth 2
*Not counting power effects
Acrobatics 1
Aerobatics 2
Bluff 2
Computers 2
Games (poker) 3
History 2
Math 1
Music (flute) 2
Observation 2
Persuasion 1
Sense Motive 2
Stealth 1
[X] You want to be a Hero, right? Then go to Redmond Welding in the Docks and break in there. It's a villain base, and it should be empty- because of Weaver's thing she wants you to go to. Weaver can lead you exactly there. Scout it with bugs using Weaver's power first just to double check it's not occupied. You can go in, take stuff that'll be useful for Wonder Weapon's tinkering, then call in the PRT hotline to report the base. There should be plenty of incriminating evidence there- you should take some with you, slip into another abandoned building, and wait there with Weaver's power running, just to make sure that the Villains can't clear out their leads first. This is a unique opportunity, as the Villains there don't have minions to keep an eye on the base, and they'll be occupied with a bit of good old-fashioned Gang Conflict tying up all of their Capes. First outing as a Cape, busting a Villain hideout and getting some Tinker supplies at the same time- perfect opportunity, right?
[X] Patrol around the Trainyard there should be enough petty crime to bust down. Not enough heroes pay attention to this area and a lot of people need some help or hope in their lives. It also might serve as an adequate place to get some Tinker materials from, and if possible doing community service around here would make this place so much better. Also if you're able to try to talk with the locals in order to find out the issues or problems around this place.
[X] You want to be a Hero, right? Then go to Redmond Welding in the Docks and break in there. It's a villain base, and it should be empty- because of Weaver's thing she wants you to go to. Weaver can lead you exactly there. Scout it with bugs using Weaver's power first just to double check it's not occupied. You can go in, take stuff that'll be useful for Wonder Weapon's tinkering, then call in the PRT hotline to report the base. There should be plenty of incriminating evidence there- you should take some with you, slip into another abandoned building, and wait there with Weaver's power running, just to make sure that the Villains can't clear out their leads first. This is a unique opportunity, as the Villains there don't have minions to keep an eye on the base, and they'll be occupied with a bit of good old-fashioned Gang Conflict tying up all of their Capes. First outing as a Cape, busting a Villain hideout and getting some Tinker supplies at the same time- perfect opportunity, right?
Okay, I didn't see that coming. Probably should have, though.
Also, probably worth clarifying that I do plan to use approval voting. In other words, you can vote for as many options as you like. Not sure that's a consideration for anyone so far who only voted once, but...
Also, I'm 90% sure you can just put [X] Username to agree with Username's vote, if it's really long and you don't want to bother with the whole thing. Because it looks like we've got some people eager to come up with detailed plans (which is a good thing, mind you).
Skein wanted to go sleeveless, something to do with her power, but Weaver didn't want to leave their arms undefended. Lotophage suggested big, loose sleeves, a compromise that neither one really liked.
How do Taylor and the others not know what Skein's power is when it had to be taken into account when making the costume? Like, did Skein say "you have to have your arms free to use my power even though I won't tell you what it is so you can't use it anyway." This doesn't make sense to me.
How do Taylor and the others not know what Skein's power is when it had to be taken into account when making the costume? Like, did Skein say "you have to have your arms free to use my power even though I won't tell you what it is so you can't use it anyway." This doesn't make sense to me.
This is a great idea. I was really feeling the withdrawal symptoms after Rein stopped updating.
Any setup that forces Taylor to interact with different versions of herself is fantastic in my book. She's such a complex person, and changes massively over the course of her story, but she studiously avoids introspecting too much on who she is. Thus, forcing her to literally confront herself is always entertaining.
How far can we theoretically go in using future information for the write-ins by the way? Is everything canon Taylor knew by the end valid? Everything the audience knows now, after Ward? Could we suggest shouting "Eden! Cauldron! Contessa!" in front of a mirror until a Door opens up, then informing the visitor that we have crucial precognitive information on how to stop Zion, and how to keep the Shard network stable after his death?
How far can we theoretically go in using future information for the write-ins by the way? Is everything canon Taylor knew by the end valid? Everything the audience knows now, after Ward? Could we suggest shouting "Eden! Cauldron! Contessa!" in front of a mirror until a Door opens up, then informing the visitor that we have crucial precognitive information on how to stop Zion, and how to keep the Shard network stable after his death?
I had planned to answer this question slowly, hinting at the answer across Taylors' first night of superheroics. However, considering the dominant plan for the second turn, it looks like I'll be answering it more or less at once.
To put it another way: I'd like to answer this through the Quest itself. But I'll tell you this much right now: Lots of stuff is the same (it kinda has to be, for a recognizable Taylor to be born), and I should probably add a clause about ignoring too flagrantly meta options. Going to a specific abandoned industrial building is a bit odd, but the idea of visiting an abandoned industrial building makes sense. Shouting random words vaguely occult at a mirror and hoping for a response from an organization you don't know exists, not so much.
(Not that I'm convinced Cauldron would notice someone shouting key phrases in the privacy of their own home. Posting them online, with some clear understanding of what they mean, on the other hand...?)
Hmm, while she's the most experienced and the one who most likely knows more about this world's timeline, I think we should make Taylor be wary of taking Weaver's advice here and there. Canon Taylor was monstruously biased on certain things, and that could end up bitting us in the butt.
Voting for this because it seems like the fastest way to check exactly how much of an AU we're dealing with, here. I'm not at all sure the viewpoint Taylor is the exact same as canon except for the alt power, given how she describes the different histories of her alternates in the informational post. She seems way too casual about Skein's mom still being alive, for example, and she says Cirrus's "Dad drowned instead of Mom." It could all just be quirks of the way it's written, but given we're already dealing with several AU backstory Taylors, I don't wanna assume. Weaver's being treated a 'just another alternate' here, after all, so we may not be in exactly canon.
Also, Taylor's power feels a lot like a mix of Scapegoat and Eidolon, which... does he exist here? Having a power that similar to one if the triumvirate, even in a watered-down form, seems like a big frigging deal. Unless I'm misreading things, she absolutely can just pull other alt-Taylors with other powers from the Mob if she wants to. (Albeit maybe at a cost? She's also a bit reminiscent of the Butcher with the power-voices...)
Last thing: @GreatWyrmGold can I suggest more dialogue tags showing who's speaking in future posts? I don't know if I'm the only one having this problem, but it's hard to track of what color means who.
Also, Taylor's power feels a lot like a mix of Scapegoat and Eidolon, which... does he exist here? Having a power that similar to one if the triumvirate, even in a watered-down form, seems like a big frigging deal. Unless I'm misreading things, she absolutely can just pull other alt-Taylors with other powers from the Mob if she wants to. (Albeit maybe at a cost? She's also a bit reminiscent of the Butcher with the power-voices...)
I don't see any way to organically mention Eidolon's existence coming any time soon, so I'll just say it: Eidolon exists, and was a comparison I had thought of. Didn't think of Scapegoat or Butcher, though those are good thoughts. Explaining the details of host!Taylor's power would bog down the early parts of this Quest with too much exposition, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give a quick explanation here.
Taylor can't just call any old Taylor from the mob. When she triggered, she just had Skein. Four (stressful) times since then, she got a new Taylor from the mob added to her "roster". She can have any four Taylors from her roster in her head at once, but can't just grab (say) a regenerating Taylor from the mob when she gets hurt. Her power is absolutely like Eidolon's in the sense that she can have several powers at once, and that could potentially make her the strongest parahuman in the city, but she's limited to a certain subset of the powers she "knows".
Hopefully something will go wrong enough that I can justify showing more about how host!Taylor's power works.
Last thing: @GreatWyrmGold can I suggest more dialogue tags showing who's speaking in future posts? I don't know if I'm the only one having this problem, but it's hard to track of what color means who.
To put it another way: I'd like to answer this through the Quest itself. But I'll tell you this much right now: Lots of stuff is the same (it kinda has to be, for a recognizable Taylor to be born), and I should probably add a clause about ignoring too flagrantly meta options. Going to a specific abandoned industrial building is a bit odd, but the idea of visiting an abandoned industrial building makes sense. Shouting random words vaguely occult at a mirror and hoping for a response from an organization you don't know exists, not so much.
Just like going to the Ruby Dreams casino is a bit odd? XP I figured that since Weaver is here, and we the voters are meant to be a mob of other Taylors, that we should have the same information as her.
Not that I'm convinced Cauldron would notice someone shouting key phrases in the privacy of their own home. Posting them online, with some clear understanding of what they mean, on the other hand...?
It was more of a joke. If you actually wanted their attention, you would pre-commit to publishing something incriminating on them in a week, unless someone shows up through a portal before that, in which case you'll never bother them again.
That makes showing up briefly the simplest, cleanest way to fulfil Contessa's constant Path to keeping Caludron a secret. So this little piece of acausal blackmail could buy you one opportunity to say something to her.
Just like going to the Ruby Dreams casino is a bit odd? XP I figured that since Weaver is here, and we the voters are meant to be a mob of other Taylors, that we should have the same information as her.
Weaver has exactly as much information as Weaver knows. She knows what happened in her world. Likewise, the individual Taylors would know what happened in their worlds. That doesn't mean that they would have as much meta-knowledge of Worm as the readers.
Plus, no shade against "use the players' canon knowledge to do crazy stuff within canon" Quests, but I don't want "Me, Myself, and I" to become one of those Quests. It's not what I'm aiming for.
EDIT: Right now we've got a tie between the Ruby Dreams option and the Redmond Welding option. Just so everyone knows.
EDIT2: I was kinda hoping the tie would be resolved so I could actually start writing the next update. I've already gone about as far as I can without knowing whether Taylors're going to a half-abandoned industrial district or a casino just outside of town.
[X] You want to be a Hero, right? Then go to Redmond Welding in the Docks and break in there. It's a villain base, and it should be empty- because of Weaver's thing she wants you to go to. Weaver can lead you exactly there. Scout it with bugs using Weaver's power first just to double check it's not occupied. You can go in, take stuff that'll be useful for Wonder Weapon's tinkering, then call in the PRT hotline to report the base. There should be plenty of incriminating evidence there- you should take some with you, slip into another abandoned building, and wait there with Weaver's power running, just to make sure that the Villains can't clear out their leads first. This is a unique opportunity, as the Villains there don't have minions to keep an eye on the base, and they'll be occupied with a bit of good old-fashioned Gang Conflict tying up all of their Capes. First outing as a Cape, busting a Villain hideout and getting some Tinker supplies at the same time- perfect opportunity, right?
[X] Patrol around the Trainyard there should be enough petty crime to bust down. Not enough heroes pay attention to this area and a lot of people need some help or hope in their lives. It also might serve as an adequate place to get some Tinker materials from, and if possible doing community service around here would make this place so much better. Also if you're able to try to talk with the locals in order to find out the issues or problems around this place.
In her own world, Wonder Weapon had a jetpack (or an "antigravity harness," whatever), but she couldn't build it here without more workshops space and tools than Taylor could plausibly hide from Dad. Cirrus's power allowed flight, albeit slow, but Taylor hadn't developed the endurance to use her power for very long.
It had seemed like Taylor would have to patrol on foot, limiting her to patrolling maybe 10-20 blocks from her house. That included some places where criminals might frequent, but it was still limiting. She wouldn't have any choice but to fight skinheads she caught doing crimes...which meant she wouldn't have to choose, but also that she couldn't do as much.
Then, when Weapon was testing her first complete drone, Skein had an idea. Could we have a drone carry us?
It sounded absurd, of course. Weapon's two drones were about the size of large coffee mugs; there was no way they could lift Taylor's weight. But Cirrus's power made her weightless, and using it just lightly enough to keep her weightless was a lot less tiring than using it for propulsion, too.
Taylor had expected Wonder Weapon to object to using her drones like that, but she was mostly impressed that Skein had thought of something that clever. She modified the drones so they had little handhold-shaped indents in the top, took some tiny test-flights in the basement last week, and now Taylor was flying above Brockton Bay.
She wasn't even fifteen feet off the ground—low enough that she'd be fine if something went wrong, and so almost any building would block her from sight. But even at that low altitude, flying felt...liberating. She could fly over the streets, over the few people and cars out this late at night, without having to worry about any of them. She could just...go wherever she wanted.
And tonight, she wanted to see why Weaver was so interested in the Ruby Dreams casino. She considered going into one of the abandoned parts of the Docks, trying to scavenge stuff for Wonder Weapon's tinkering, but...first off, she wasn't sure how useful Weapon would find most of the stuff she had lying around.
More importantly, she wanted to see what Weaver was expecting.
Taylor passed downtown, passed city limits. The casino was close enough to Brockton Bay that its residents would go there, but not close enough that it would have to pay local taxes or follow local regulations. In the evening and early night, the casino glowed with thousands of red lights, topped with a rotating neon sign showing a ruby in a pink cloud—making sure anyone who drove within a mile knew that Ruby Dreams was there.
But this late at night, the lights were all off. Every gambler had been forced to cash their chips and kicked out, so the staff could clean up and close down. The only people there now would be a handful of security guards, there to discourage burglars and chase vagrants off the property, and maybe one janitor cleaning any stains someone had missed. The only lights on outside were a handful of streetlamps in the parking lot.
Not much was near the casino. The highway, a large pond across the highway, a gas station, a burger joint, trees. Maybe half a mile south, even farther from the city, was a little subdivision, almost a hundred little houses in a maze of cul-de-sacs and crossroads. Whatever Weaver was expecting, it had to be in the casino.
So, Weaver, what's next? Lotophage asked.
Next, we wait.
They waited in the trees south of the casino, watching. Taylor wished she'd brought her phone—even after Weapon gutted it for the helmet, it still had some ebooks on it. Something to remember for next time.
Cirrus and Skein chatted, wandering from topic to topic—Cirrus's superhero dreams, Skein's experiences, how Brockton Bay had changed in Skein's world, slightly different versions of the Maggie Holt spin-off, and so on. Lotophage and Weaver used their powers to watch—Weaver through her bugs, Lotophage searching for any minds close enough for her powers to find. Wonder Weapon...probably stewed in the mob or something?
Taylor tried to follow all of them—see what Weaver's bugs saw, get some sense from Lotophage's power, contribute to Skein and Cirrus's conversation. Trying to split her attention three ways meant she couldn't even half-ass anything. How Weaver managed this sort of thing, she had no idea.
After probably twenty or thirty minutes, Weaver spoke up, directly to Taylor. The crane flies to our one o'clock, about a hundred fifty yards out. What do they see?
Taylor searched the bugs in Weaver's range, found what were probably the flies she was talking about, and tried to use their senses. ...I'm normally pretty bad at using bug eyes, but this is ridiculous. It's so dark out, I don't think the bugs can see anything.
Check the other bugs.
Sighing, Taylor did. The bugs near the parking lot could see—not clearly, or at least not in any way Taylor's human brain could understand. But once you got away from there, from the lights, the bugs…
...could still see, at least a little. Except for in one patch about a hundred fifty yards away.
Ah, you've figured it out?
That bit isn't just dark, Taylor thought. It's unnaturally dark.
Is it a supervillain? Cirrus asked.
It's definitely a parahuman, Lotophage said, or maybe someone borrowing tinkertech or something. And I can't think of why a superhero would be skulking around like that.
Taylor could feel Skein's uncertainty. I mean, not that I don't see your point, but technically we're skulking around, too.
See if you can sense anyone in that darkness, Weaver instructed. Sight doesn't work, but what other senses do you have?
You were talking about bugging people the other day, right? Like, sticking bugs on them? Bugs in the sightless patch couldn't see, but they could still feel the dirt or shrubbery or whatever under their tiny bug feet. They could probably feel clothes and skin, too.
Exactly. Can you search, or should I?
I think I can. Summoning her of mental energy and confidence, Taylor sent all the flying bugs in the sightless area swarming and had any who hit something land on it. She could feel Weaver internally cringing, but hell if she knew why.
Is it really important that the host does all this stuff?
The better she can use our powers on her own, the more she can do without having to explain what she needs us to do. The less she needs to explain her plans, the faster she can act on them. She'll get herself killed if she can't act on her plans fast enough.
Grim. But not wrong.
...I think I found some people? Three...person-shaped things. Definitely not made of metal or anything, definitely moving. One is tall. Probably people.
Three? Hm.
'Hm'? Cirrus asked. What are you hm-ing about?
...just trying to guess whether we can take them.
We might not have to, Lotophage said. If we can just convince them we're bad news, we might be able to scare them off without a fight. Fly overhead, then say something about how we know they're there and could they please surrender? Not worded like that, of course. Oh, and didn't Weapon put a flashlight in the helmet? We could use that! Show how confident we are that our four powers can beat their three!
Sounds risky, Skein said. Maybe we should hold off a bit, watch what they're doing. See if they use any other powers.
Not saying that's a bad idea, but I'm pretty sure they know something's up.
What?
Your search was...pretty obviously unnatural. They've stopped to try and swat all the bugs they can feel.
Oh...oops...
For a first try, it wasn't... Weaver paused. When we aren't confronting some villains, try watching how bugs normally behave.
But we are confronting supervillains, Cirrus pointed out. Got any advice, veteran?
Strike first. Strike hard. I'd say strike before they know we're coming, but we're a bit late for that.
Taylor nodded. Cirrus?
Don't ask me, this is my first time too.
Alright. So we've got three supervillains, one of whom can shut down vision, and we need to decide what to do quickly.
Yes. So decide.
[X] Reveal yourself and demand that the mysterious villains surrender. [Lotophage]
[X] Sneak up to the villains, attack while they're distracted by the bugs. [Weaver]
-[X] Pretend that distracting the villains with bugs was your plan all along? [host]
[X] Watch. See what they do. [Skein]
[X] Write-in [MOB]
Obviously I had a plan for the Ruby Dreams since before I posted the thread, but I made an outline for the Redmond Welding plan once I saw it getting lots of votes. (Then Ruby Dreams got a surge of votes, and it ultimately won out.) There's only one segment I think is worth recording. (I didn't actually write it out, so I'm basically just describing the outline, but still.)
It would have gone like this: Wonder Weapon gets pulled into host!Taylor's head, and complains that she needs electronics, not scrap metal. Cirrus suggests she could build a giant drone with all the scrap metal, she and Weapon briefly argue about the practicality, and Weaver says she could just take copper wiring.
Weapon goes on a rant about how there's obviously not going to be any copper wiring, everyone knows to strip it from the building and sell it to scrap metal dealers, you think there would still be any in a place like—and then Weaver mentions her bugs found some in the upper floors of one of the more wrecked buildings.
Also, I've been editing the "Other Taylors" notes—sometimes finishing sentences I meant to come back to before posting, sometimes adding details I'd known but forgotten to include, and sometimes just adding more detail where I thought it was sparse. I'm not going to add anything more about them until Taylor herself learns more about them, though. I have self-control. And on the subject of informational threadmarks...
EDIT: I didn't actually mention anything that Wonder Weapon's helmet does, did I? Right now, it mostly does two things—control drones and make calls. That's (part of) why she gutted host!Taylor's phone.
At the end of each update, a few options will be proposed by the Taylors in Taylor's head. Players may either vote for one of these options, or write in their own ideas. Votes must include a [X] before them to be recognized by the forum!
You may vote for the last thing a given user voted by posting [X] username. This might be handy for more detailed write-ins.
You may vote for as many options as you desire.
At least 24 hours after each update, at a time when I'm ready to write the next update, I will post a tally of all votes. This signals that voting has officially ended. At this time, whichever option has the most votes will be selected; if possible, I will also try to incorporate compatible elements from other options that received a significant number of votes.
In the case of a tie, if no compromise or combination is possible, the vote-tally post will be delayed until there is no longer a tie.
Basically like every other Quest, then? Well, there's one small difference.
The players are, fairly explicitly, not host!Taylor. Host!Taylor has surrendered most of her personal agency, and will reject sufficiently stupid suggestions. This includes putting herself in danger for no good reason ("Jump into the fire to get a new head-Taylor," "Jump out of cover to greet the sniper") and ones that go against her motivations too much (half of what Wonder Weapon suggests, sharing secrets she wants to protect).
This also includes excessively meta suggestions; if you want to abuse your meta knowledge, you need to wrap it in a suggestion that sounds good to Taylor, not just tell her to post about a random conspiracy and hope you get noticed.
Conflict Resolution
The system I'm using is about two parts Weaver Dice, three parts simple homebrew. Characters have seven characteristics—Brawn,Athletics,Dexterity,Wits,Social,Knowledge, and Guts—and a number of skills. (Hm. I should probably add those to the Taylor info page at some point.) Both characteristics and skills generally range from 1 to 5 (0 to 5 for skills), with 5 being the effective maximum for a normal human. (Obviously, parahumans and augmented humans can have higher numbers.)
Number
Characteristic
Skill
1
Impaired
Basic knowledge
2
Weak
Competent
3
Average
Good
4
Exceptional
Expert
5
Incredible
Master
When attempting a dramatic task, a random number is picked using random.org. This number is between 1 and either (1+Characteristic+Skill) or 2*Characteristic (for rolls not affected by skill). A target number is chosen, based on the difficulty of the task.
2
Simple
3
Average
4
Tricky
5
Hard
6
Harrowing
7
Almost impossible
(If anyone knows how to make the tables only take up as much space as they actually need, that would be great.)
If the random number is equal to or greater than the target number, the task is a success; otherwise, it's a failure. Optionally, roll again for a chance at critical success or failure, whatever that means. What, exactly, a success/failure/critical entails is dependant on the intent of both actor and author.
Taylor has an additional wrinkle. When she lets another Taylor act using her body, they roll using the other Taylor's skills, Wits, Social, Knowledge, and sometimes Dexterity or Guts, but with host!Taylor's Brawn, Athletics, and sometimes Guts or Dexterity.
(Dexterity and Guts straddle the line between mental and physical—GM's call which a given roll qualifies as.)
Generally, I'll try to have Taylor borrow the skills of whatever available Taylor would be best at a given task. Sometimes, however, Ishe might forget.
