Eden's Edge (Worm/Sonnie's Edge [Love, Death, and Robots])

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It really does seem like their is no good solution, though I don't think continuing to lie to Taylor is a good idea. Maybe just admit that their are some things they are concerned about her knowing, give her a little more insight. Seems like Annette is going to be proved right at the rate things are going, which is kind of awkward for everyone involved on the Hero side. Damn, this story is giving me anxiety.
 
Two at The Same Time
  • Apocrypha
    • Okay I have just one more dumb pop culture joke for the thread and then I'll stop:

    Amy: So your actual body is a bio-tinker creation?
    Taylor: Oh yeah, it's crazy. I'm a super-strong twelve-foot tall monster that's essentially bulletproof.
    Amy: What are you planning on doing with that?
    Taylor: long pause Two chicks at the same time.
    Amy: nervous chuckle Sorry, what?
    Taylor: completely serious face
     
    Last edited:
  • Apocrypha
    • Duality 3.2
  • Threadmarks
    • HEY GUYS CHECK THE MEDIA THREADMARKS WE GOT FANART :D :D :D
    Special thanks to my lovely co-author and wife, @hellgodsrus, without whom I would never would have been able to take part in creating half my fics. Prime Betas @Tamahori and @32nd_freeze for being betas and feeding me validation and feedback between updates.

    Duality
    3.2
    -.-.-

    The house was huge. Four whole bedrooms and a bathroom - not just a toilet but full on shower-bath-toilet room. Plus an en-suite for the master. And that was the top floor. The ground floor had the lounge-dining room combination, which was huge, the kitchen, which was probably as large as the lounge had been at home, another full bathroom, and a couple of offices. To top it all off from below, they also had a basement. It was where the washing machines and driers were.

    I think it was larger than any house I'd ever been in before, and the only buildings I'd been in that felt larger were warehouses and schools. And I guess the library.

    "Wow." That was all I could really say. "This place feels like a mansion." All clean and tidy from what I'd seen and - well, apart from the brief glance into Victoria's room, which had been surprisingly cluttered with little keepsakes, but still! "How do you guys find time to do the cleaning?"

    "We make a day of it once a month." Carol seemed so stiff. Like she had no idea what to do or say and - honestly, I felt the same. Except I was better at being a rambling goofball when I was nervous. "It was last weekend."

    Aaah. So this was probably the cleanest I was going to see it. I really shouldn't have been thinking 'I wish Annette had gone off the deep end sooner so I could have lived here longer'.

    "I expect that you'll be staying here for a little while while your legal situation develops. If there's anything you want to do to make your room feel more comfortable…"

    I hadn't really been in there long enough to think about it. "I'll uh - let you know if I think of anything. Um, actually - Victoria mentioned my house is more or less… cordoned off, or something?"

    "It's currently being investigated by PRT Forensics, yes." Her lips did that twitchy thing again which might have been a smile. "I'm sure that any personal property you own will be returned to you as quickly as possible."

    "Phew, that's a relief, I just remembered all the homework documents I have on my computer that's… still at home." I frowned. And unless Annette had packed toiletries in the suitcase, I - probably had a lot of stuff to still get. "Um. If there's anything I can do to make it easier on you guys for housing me -"

    "Do you have any allergies?"

    "Uuuhhh…" I tried to think. "Not that I've been made aware of and Mom would have overzealously made sure I knew to avoid them at all costs, so I think I'm fine on that front. If I'm wrong uh - Amy would know, I guess?" I shrugged.

    "Good. Right." Her arms folded and unfolded. "You're probably hungry. Lunch tends to be something of a free for all - I don't know what you like to eat but let me know and I'll add it to the grocery lists."

    I shrugged again. "I'm usually happy with whatever. Is it okay if I uh - rummage around in the kitchen?" Free for all lunches were bad. Because that meant someone usually wasn't eating without prompting. Sort of happened a few times with Mom and I.

    "Yes." Brandish blinked. "I'll be here, if you want to know where anything is."

    "Sweet. Thank you." I smiled. There was something about the way she moved and talked that made me think 'uncanny valley'. Like something was… off. Not in a bad way, but - awkward off. It would be really, really uncomfortable for both of us if this was her first time trying to express compassion or something. I remembered what Emma said in the texts about Mrs. Dallon being kind of gaslighty.

    Regardless, food, glorious food!

    Okay, the pantry was big enough that I could shut the doors behind me and hide in here. Well-stocked. Guess having a family of superheroes meant they worked up quite the appetite. Or they needed to be prepared for a siege? How often did that sort of thing happen to capes?

    Noodles - meh. Lots of noodles - I had suspicions about who needed so many noodles and I did not like it one bit. Victoria, just because your sister can poke you and turn fat into muscle doesn't mean you should be eating unhealthily. Bread! Much better. A look in the fridge - very well stocked. Mom and I could never afford certain foods out of season and - now I felt a bit guilty about how much financial strain I must have been putting on them… I guess if I really wanted the truth, I could ask Amy. She'd either confirm I was a burden or scoff at me for thinking superheroes get paid so little and still live in a house like this.

    She was kind of a reliable bitch like that.

    "Are you having trouble finding anything?"

    "Nope, everything's more or less in where I thought it'd be. I'm gonna make some sandwiches. How many would you like?" And where's Mr. Dallon? I could have sworn I felt a presence over my shoulder when I glanced in passing at the thermostat.

    Brandish twisted to look at me in surprise. "Excuse me?"

    "Free for all lunches usually mean someone's not eating because they're busy or don't feel up to it, so I'm making sandwiches." I shrugged. "Mom was busy with work or - now that I think about it, probably the basement too - so I ended up cooking a lot. It's fun."

    "... perhaps we have different definitions of free-for-all. I meant that as work and schoolwork and such things mean we're in the house at irregular times we tend to prepare lunch individually when it suits us?"

    I paused. "... this must be a thing for households with more than two people in it." I nodded slowly. God why is this so awkward. "Would you like a sandwich anyway?"

    "If you would like to make one I won't refuse it."

    So that was a yes. A very long yes. Why was it that my Mom - Annette, she was Annette, I had to remember that - was the English professor and yet Brandish was the one using way too many words? Well, lawyer, I guess.

    I hoped she wasn't going to be like this for my entire stay. Because that would be - an incredibly awkward and uncomfortable relationship.

    But I was also feeling kind of hungry, which was weird in itself, so I made a whole bunch of sandwiches. Far too many sandwiches.

    -.-.-

    Was I antisocial or was I just inexperienced in the whole - trying to make small-talk with lawyers thing?

    >vicky help your mom is so awkward and well meaning

    <? She is?
    <wait til you forget to do schoolwork or leave mustard on the counter lol

    >im serious i offered to make a sandwich and she's all confused and then slowly says like 'if you would like to make one i wont refuse it'
    >my mother is an english professor
    >but holy fuck your mom *feels* like it
    >how do i make small talk with a lawyer
    >help

    <i dnno lol she usually just lets us talk while she's doing pperwork
    <i think she's just getting used to someone else in the house? She still does this to dean whenever he visits
    <that and glare at him for daring to be my boyfriend
    <i spoke 2 abby by the way

    >my anxieties have increased tenfold
    >is she ok?

    <sad and unhappy?
    <expect a fun call
    <yay
    <im sorry i couldn't find a way to
    <make all this easier
    <or just arrest your mom
    <i'm not sure she realised that you're staying with us when i mentioned you wanted her to call

    Riiight. Fuck, I hadn't mentioned that bit when I texted her earlier.

    >thanks for trying anyways
    >i dont want to think about what would have happened if we'd decided to call it off for another day and i'd just walked home from the park

    <ok
    <now im sad and unhappy
    <tell me more about mom's attempts to imitate the hoo mans

    >sorry
    >i guess it's a little uncanny valley? Like she's so stiff and not used to this 'showing compassion thing'
    >which mostly makes me worried about how she treats you two but
    >ive been more or less rightfully paranoid lately so probably overthinking it
    >the house tour was
    >you guys live in a fucking mansion, you know that right?

    <if u think our house is big see dean's lol

    >aaaa seriously your kitchen is as big as my lounge and kitchen put together
    >also you have tons of food
    >guess it really drives in how close to bankrupt mom and i were
    >im not good at this 'distract people from being sad and unhappy' thing am i

    <dont tell her i said this but u've got better bedside manners than ames :p

    >brandish has better bedside manners than amy

    <big oof, tay, big fukin oof
    <im tellingher u said thatlol

    >aaaa no no no im sorry please dont
    >she'll give me cancer or something
    >if you tell her im telling her you said i have better bedside manners

    I got a text from Amy.

    <ok i'll admit that was actually pretty lol so pretend im threatening u w/ cancer again here

    And then -

    Incoming Call: Abby <3

    I couldn't remember adding the heart to her contact name. It must have been - just something else Annette took from me.

    I took a deep breath and picked up. "H-" And my throat closed up immediately. Fuck. Fucking fuckity - please just let me talk to her.

    "H-hey." Her voice was so soft and quiet. "Are you - are you alright?"

    "W-well, um. T-trying to be. I'm - sorry about earlier, I - I wanted to let you know I was okay but things were still running high and I was - probably way too stressed to actually… talk-talk, y'know? Um. Yeah. H-how're you doing?"

    A little sobbing sort of laugh. "Not great. Um. Upset about earlier. Worried about you all weekend. Angry at myself. So. Not great." A pause. "I also think I flunked the test in History. So. There's that too."

    I wasn't sure why but I couldn't imagine Abby not being in the know when it came to history. "I'm - sure you did well. You seem like the kind of person to know their history." What am I even saying? The answer was anything that wasn't entirely relevant. "Is there anything I can do to - help? Or make things better? Or -" I wiped my nose on my sleeve before I could sniffle.

    "Talking is good. Are you - really okay? I know it's hard to tell tone over text and - and I can't even imagine what losing chunks of memory or time is like and I was so wrapped up in my feelings about it…"

    I sighed heavily. "It - it really sucks. Most of the time it's - subtle, almost? Like, I wasn't expecting something to have happened, so I blank out somewhere in the afternoon and then get stopped at the door when I try to go to school because it's Saturday but it feels like Friday. Like I don't realise I've forgotten. And then there's… times like this, where something important happened, something that I'd been - I'd had on my mind, and then it's just - flashes. Like a dream, all the bits between seconds are just blurred together and missing." I slumped back on my new bed. "We were on the bus, I turned to look out the window at something you pointed out, but there was a poster there, we couldn't decide, and then you're folding the tickets over your finger as they come out of the machine but that can't be right because we're standing in line and I'm saying you're more fun to nibble on than any snack. You mentioned you should never have -"

    "Stop, please, I - " A sniff. "I wish you could remember the rest of it. I'm - it's probably really selfish to say that isn't it? To want that when I should be - because seizures are bad, and - is there anything I can do to help with them? If they happen again? If you want me around when they happen again."

    Should be what? "Hey. It's not selfish. I want to remember it too." I rolled onto my side and curled up. Wiping at my wet cheeks. "I think - sometimes things can trigger them? The - the memories. I don't know for sure though, and - I think if you're around when I have a seizure, just um. Try to keep me from smashing my head into things? I can't remember if the swallowing your own tongue thing was a myth or not, but um - yeah."

    "So. Um. It's okay for me to be around you? You don't hate me?"

    I blinked. "What?" Sitting up, because this was a serious moment. "Abby, why would I hate you?" Wait - shit, it was probably the - texts I sent. Fuuuck. "If it's the - earlier texts, I'm - I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply I hated you or anything, I - I still really like you, I'm just - I don't know. It feels like people try to 'soften the blows' every time, like it's - patronizing or something and maybe it's just how Mom did it but I guess it turned into a frustration beserk button and - I'm rambling again, aren't I?" I dropped my head in my hand. I am so fucking useless.

    "You're not rambling. I just - I was so afraid all weekend and then I thought I'd ruined it right away and - I'm glad I didn't. I'm sorry I'm such a mess. I mean, you're the one who - was hurt and stuff, I don't know why - I should be comforting you and instead I'm just. Being useless."

    "Well - we can be useless together then." I chuckled a little - it didn't sound as happy as I'd hoped. "I was worried you'd hate me for ghosting you all weekend, and - going to all that effort for a date only for your partner to be - unable to remember it is… I'd imagine just as upsetting as being unable to remember it."

    "It is but that's just - my brain being stupid. And you're still you and you were still amazing in every way, and I really want to keep going with this if you do." She coughed. "Or, um. Start, I guess. From your point of view. Maybe. I don't know."

    "I remember everything clearly up to getting on the bus, including the part where you were talking about transport, saw me, and cut yourself off to say 'bite me' six times." I giggled. "So - yeah, if - if you're okay with it, then yeah. I'd - I'd really like to keep going with you." I sniffled and wiped at my face again. "Though, fair warning; I'm such a wreck right now I'm not sure I could handle another trip out. Wasn't the next thing we have planned spending the day in your room?"

    "I don't think we should jump straight back to that."

    "You're right. But a day to just - relax and cuddle with you, curl up on your bed and watch a movie or something - that. That sounds nice."

    "Okay. Um, we'd have to wait for the weekend for a whole day. But if you're - I don't know if you'll be back at school tomorrow but if you are we could do that then. After school."

    I winced. "I've um. I think I've got some medical stuff booked, so I probably won't be there until Wednesday or Thursday. But if I can get away for an afternoon to come visit you… would that - be good?"

    "That sounds really good. Really really good."

    I felt a genuine smile growing across my face - until it was tugging at the scars. Oh, thank fuck, I still had those - I just realised Amy could have fixed them while I was asleep. "Tomorrow afternoon then? Should I try stop by Arcadia at let-out time or..."

    "Tomorrow afternoon would be amazing. I'll look forward to seeing you."

    "It'll be great to hold you again." Mwah.

    "And to hold you again." A soft laugh. "You know, for someone who looks so broody, you really are - so good at making me feel like I'm bathing in sunlight."

    And now I was treated to the wonderful mental image of Abby flying around like Victoria but naked but fucking lense flares were covering all the fun bits. "I can be plenty broody." I pouted, before putting on a gargling gravel voice, "I am Shadow Stalker, purveyor of rooftops, overseer of crime, general pain in ass. This city is -" I started coughing up a lung. "Christ, how does anyone keep that voice for more than one line?"

    "Gargling lots of salt water? Smoking?" A pause. "Do you want me to tell you about Friday? We don't have to if you don't want to and it sounds stupid but my memory isn't as clear as I feel like it should be - "

    "I -" I paused. "... maybe tomorrow. We can curl up in each other's arms and - try to remember it together." Maybe reenact some of it. Oh, who am I kidding, I'm not that lucky.

    "Okay." A pause. "Shit, there's the bell. Repeaters are about to go off. I'll see you tomorrow outside school. I hope you're okay."

    "I'm okay." I smiled. "See you then, beautiful. Oh, if you see Chris, say hi to him for me?"

    "Sure. I'll see you tomorrow. You're beautiful too! I - oh god that sounded so awkward - " Click.

    Ah. The repeaters.

    I wanted to curl up and die. No particular reason, just - why was I so exhausted? I'd been asleep for days, hadn't I? Maybe I could afford a small nap. Just a little one.

    Hopefully this time I'd wake up before dinner instead of some stupid time like Thursday.

    -.-.-

    "There. She should be asleep."

    My tentacles twitched in indignation. Don't tell me to do what I'm already - oh.

    Oh no.

    The warehouse again. My movements felt sluggish, sticky. The world tinged in red through my tank, watching people move back and forth - I don't think I recognised any of them. And a mirror in front of my tank, showing me as a dark shape in the red liquid.

    Except then someone passed in front of it and I realised that it couldn't be. The mirror in front of me didn't move as I did, didn't show a reflection of the person passing by. Because it wasn't a mirror. It was another tank.

    Mom, what have you done?

    -.-.-
     
  • Threadmarks
    • It's like a reversal of the sandwich technique for delivering criticism, I love it.

    Top Bun: Taylor is hitting the iceberg of New Wave's familial disfunctions.
    Meat: Clear communication with Abby! People feeling better! Slightly awkward flirting!
    Bottom Bun: Ominous cliffhanger suggesting of further monstrosity.

    I will not apologize for wordplay.
     
    With Annette now making the monsters as they were meant to be made she's probably cranking them out a lot faster than she did when making Taylor. We might get the Hebert Family Arena after all! Or just some handy remote controlled shock troops for the dock workers. Either one's great.
     
    I got it. I know what's messing with me about this story. I was trying so hard to figure why this story just makes me uncomfortable. The reason is simple now that I have it. I feel like Annette is too powerful. I feel like she took over the story in a bad way and undermines Taylor's character and personality that you set up, just because of the whole mind control aspect.

    This must be why Everytime she's brought up I don't like her. But it's not her character, she's a fine villain and stuff. My problem is that she felt out of place. Too powerful for the position she is supposed to occupy.

    She's supposed to be scraping by on scrapes? Why does she have all this tech that can beat seasoned capes? Sure Amy and glory girl are kids but they are both extremely experienced. While impulsive glory wasn't an idiot. And while Amy doesn't fight she goes to endbringer fights all the time. She would at least have the concious and pull to get help from a few capes and be able to keep the prt as a whole out of it. Of course she might choose not to so it's not as big a deal.

    Anyway I think that's why I dislike every instance of Annette being brought up after her power over Taylor was revealed.

    Most of this is either my opinion or experience and what I see as facts based on my knowledge of canon. I try not to interpret but rather read and follow verbatim. If anything is wrong from my perspective based on canon that is likely due to my lack of having read worm in a few weeks and a bunch of fanfic influence so forgive me for any errors. I do not mind being corrected. Please do not make a big deal of it however and if possible please pm or private message me corrections so I may be more correct in the future.

    Good luck writing!
     
    The Pillow said:
    She's supposed to be scraping by on scrapes? Why does she have all this tech that can beat seasoned capes? Sure Amy and glory girl are kids but they are both extremely experienced. While impulsive glory wasn't an idiot. And while Amy doesn't fight she goes to endbringer fights all the time. She would at least have the concious and pull to get help from a few capes and be able to keep the prt as a whole out of it. Of course she might choose not to so it's not as big a deal.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Panacea at EB fights is pure fanon I believe. She only ever attended Brockton Bay. Also; teenagers are fucking stupid and think they can handle wayyyyy more than they can or should.
     
    Is Panna going to endbringer fights all fanon? I'm 100% she goes to both the behemoth fight and the Brockton Levi fight. Beyond that I don't think it's ever actually mentioned one way or another. I could easily be wrong as I payed less attention to the interludes back then. I used to hate intervening perspectives on a story so I ignored them but some fanfics donit well so I like those. I'll have a looksy though.

    Good luck writing!
    God I need to set a signiture...
     
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