Scraped from here.
Fiend; or I how I learned to stop worrying and love the Green Sun.
An...
Fiend; or I how I learned to stop worrying and love the Green Sun.
An...
Fiend; or I how I learned to stop worrying and love the Green Sun. (Exalted/Worm)
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logiccosmic
the Prince of Word Crimes
- Location
- the Hague, formerly
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Scraped from here.
Fiend; or I how I learned to stop worrying and love the Green Sun.
An Exalted/Worm Crossover
Disclaimer: Worm is Wildbow's (Don't forget to vote), Exalted is White Wolf's. I'm just playing with their toys.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Second Breath
(1.1) (1.2) (1.3) (1.4) (1.5) (1.6) (1.7) (1.8) Interlude
Chapter 2: Accursed Fortune
(2.1) (2.2) (2.3) (2.4) (2.5) (2.6) (2.7) Interlude
Chapter 3: Wyld Hunt
(3.1) (3.2) (3.3) (3.4) (3.5) (3.6) (3.7) (3.8) (3.9) (3.10) Interlude
Chapter 4: Ochre Fountain
(4.1) (4.2) (4.3) (4.4)
Author Status: Working on 4.5.
Previous Discussion: Starting at page 49, through 51.
http://forums.spacebattles.com/thre...-ideas-recs-and-fic-discussion.265902/page-49
FFN Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9645945/1/Fiend-or-I-how-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-Green-Sun
Fiend; or I how I learned to stop worrying and love the Green Sun.
An Exalted/Worm Crossover
Disclaimer: Worm is Wildbow's (Don't forget to vote), Exalted is White Wolf's. I'm just playing with their toys.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Second Breath
(1.1) (1.2) (1.3) (1.4) (1.5) (1.6) (1.7) (1.8) Interlude
Chapter 2: Accursed Fortune
(2.1) (2.2) (2.3) (2.4) (2.5) (2.6) (2.7) Interlude
Chapter 3: Wyld Hunt
(3.1) (3.2) (3.3) (3.4) (3.5) (3.6) (3.7) (3.8) (3.9) (3.10) Interlude
Chapter 4: Ochre Fountain
(4.1) (4.2) (4.3) (4.4)
Author Status: Working on 4.5.
Previous Discussion: Starting at page 49, through 51.
http://forums.spacebattles.com/thre...-ideas-recs-and-fic-discussion.265902/page-49
FFN Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9645945/1/Fiend-or-I-how-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-Green-Sun
logiccosmic
the Prince of Word Crimes
- Location
- the Hague, formerly
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Second Breath 1.1
A cabinet sat in a dusty room. Its pale green surface was illuminated only by a window, the light filtered through ages of grime. Gentle whorls marred the otherwise perfect surface of the cabinet, combining to form a graceful handle and lock.
In it, surrounded by stale air, shelves of tiny pots – of gold, silver, and glimmering steel – sat in neat rows. Each one labeled, and placed exactly with its cousins. Some were plain, others so intricate to seem impossibly fragility, but all were in perfect condition, with nary a scratch.
A faint rattle broke the stillness of the room. Another, and than another, until it became a constant buzzing. A golden pot, streaked with lines of bronze and black, shook in its place, vibrating so fast as to be a blur. Tiny cracks spider webbed out from the lid, and a faint green and purple glow emanated from them.
The crack of a thunderous detonation shook the room, rattling the window and pots, and blasting a wave of dust away from the cabinet. In it, a ball of shadow, purest black, covered the offending pot. As the dust settled, so too did the ball fade away, leaving a broken pot, with nothing in it.
I screamed. Begged, even. Cried, sobbed, and wailed. Or, at least when I could. My elbows were already bruised and bloody from beating at the door. I could feel vomit, and other things best unspoken of. I had been surprised by them before but this, this was just too much.
Upon returning from Winter Break, my detente with my tormentors had been called off without my knowledge. Or, it was never really real, if the volume in my locker was any indicator. My bullies – Sophie, Madison, and Emma, had been waiting for me. As I opened my locker, I received a full inhalation of its contents; used pads and tampons, fermented. I retched, and nearly vomited. Until I was shoved into my locker, and did vomit. And the door was shut behind me. I could hear the lock click, even over my messy evacuation of my stomach, and followed, of course, by what could only be laughter.
I wasn't laughing.
My cries for help broke down to whimpers, as I knew no one was coming. Class had started, and no one was patrolling the halls right after a vacation. It was getting harder to breathe, and when I did, it was followed by dry heaves. My stomach had long ago reached empty. I was trapped here, and I could feel the metal walls closing in, with their sticky cargo. I tried to think of anywhere else, to be somewhere else, anything to help.
Nothing. Just the merciful grasp of unconsciousness.
An instant later, I scrambled off the bed, scraping at my body to get everything off.
"Miss Hebert!" Ms. Fletcher, the school nurse, stunned me out of my panic. "You are all right. Calm, deep breaths, now."
She made gentle gestures for me to fall back onto the bed. My heart beating a thousand times a minute, and sucking in the amazing disinfectant-tinged air, I did. My arms moved almost on their own accord, to spread out, and prop me up facing her. The ability to move did more than her words to calm me down.
"Good, nice and easy now. Deep breaths." She exaggerated her breathing, matching it with mine. For several minutes, the only sound was our breathing and faint rumble of the heater. "Are you feeling okay?"
I gave a shaky nod. "Very good. Now, can you tell me what happened?"
She reached for a clipboard behind, and turned expectant eyes on me. I took several more deep breaths, and exhaled with purpose.
"I was pushed in there."
Her eyebrows rose, even as she wrote. "Pushed? By who?"
I wanted to scream that of course I was pushed. But, this was my chance. They had crossed too many lines with this, this crime, and finally it would be over. I slowed my breathing from its again increased rate, and sat up.
"Sophia Hess, Madison Clements, and Emma Barnes."
Nodding as she transcribed my words, she stood. "A moment, please."
She crossed the room, and opened the door to reveal the principal. I could only see her hair, but the blond bowl-cut could only be her. They spoke a few quiet words, and Ms. Fletcher handed her the clipboard. She turned back to me, and gave me a smile. The principal, however, barely looked at me, and closed the door. My stomach clenched. No sympathy or kind words. My hands tightened around my arms, even as I realized I had been rubbing my them. I stopped myself, and looked to Ms. Fletcher.
"Could you call my father? He should be working today-"
"Already done. Not five minutes ago, the Union said they had reached him, and he was on his way. Something about a meeting with an aide."
At least my Dad would be here for me. I closed my eyes to gather my thoughts, until interrupted.
"Ms. Hebert? I think you may want this."
I opened my eyes to see Ms. Fletcher offering me a small, plastic cup of water. I nearly snatched it out of her hands, and drained it. It tasted faintly of blood and vomit and -
She offered me another, and gave me a sympathetic look. "I thought you might want to rinse out your mouth first..." She trailed off, and her face became a bit more contrite. "I couldn't clean out your mouth."
Embarrassed, but touched, I took the second cup and handed her the first. I drank this one far slower, merely sipping. The office went quiet as I finished my water, and as I looked up, I saw her carrying a tub of sponges, faintly stained red, and my clothes, also stained. Shocked, I looked down, and found I was wearing a blouse two sizes too large, trousers one size too large, and socks that barely reached above my ankle.
Noticing my surprise, Ms. Fletcher said, "You couldn't wear those, so I put you in some clothes we keep on hand in case of lice or accidents. Mostly for Chemistry accidents."
"Thank you." I said, quietly. She gave me a friendly nod, and went back to work. I brought my feet up onto the bed, and wrapped my arms around my legs, resting my chin on my knees. I focused my eyes on the wall, and thought.
I had thought it was over. The bullying had simmered down in November, with no incidents at all in December. I had become hopeful that it was completely over. Maybe Emma would even apologize. Evidently not. I wiped the beginning of tears from my eyes.
The door opened again, and the principal walked in, along with Sophia, Emma, and Madison. Behind Sophia, a taller man, in his late twenties stood, with his hand on her shoulder. He was the only one of the four giving me a sympathetic look.
"Ms. Hebert." The principal began, "These three have something they want to say to you."
What?
"I'm sorry, Taylor." Madison said, with the other two repeating after her. Emma and Madison gave me exaggerated looks of pity. Sophia gave me something mixed between pity and a sneer.
"Thank you girls." The principal made a shooing motion towards the door. All three girls turned and began moving towards the door, with her following. Sophia's (stepfather?) stayed and opened his mouth.
I beat him to it. "That's it?"
The principal turned back from then now open door. "Ms. Hebert?"
"They assaulted me, shoved me into a locker with used tampons, and that's it!?"
I finally got a response from her; a false face of pity and real exasperation. "Ms. Hebert, it is your word against theirs, and your homeroom class, who were in the same hall as you, all say that nothing of the sort happened."
I was speechless, but only momentarily. "I sure didn't put myself in there."
"And when the custodian removed you, you were facing in. You might not have gotten a good look at who did this, and we -"
"Good look? I got a good look when they dragged and forced me in!"
"Ms. Hebert, please. We are trying to solve this altercation- "
I interrupted again, "And this isn't even the first time! They have been threatening me, stealing from me, harassing me, abusing me."
The principal frowned, and gave a quick look at the girls, "When has this been happening?"
"Ever since last September."
"And why have you not come forward with this?"
Because you wouldn't take my word. You would take Madison's over mine. You would take Emma's, my friend, and Sophia's, who is glaring a hole in me, over mine. I wanted to say it, but didn't. The principal waited, then sighed. "Ms. Hebert, this is the first we have heard of this. These are serious allegations. However, at this time, I will not assign punishments without due cause."
I could feel tears in the corner of my eyes, and let out a bitter laugh. "Due cause."
"Ms. Hebert -"
"So nothing is going to happen then?"
"A proper investigation will be conducted."
"And actions like this will not be tolerated." The first words from Sophia's guardian, and in my support. He was giving her a look I couldn't see, but I could see her sullenly glare at him.
I wiped away my tears, and stood. "So nothing. No justice. Nothing."
The principal frowned, and said, "I will not hand out punishments for some form of eye-for-an-eye."
I brushed past her, and the four of them. "Ms. Hebert, where are you going?"
The nurse's and principal's question overlapped, but I ignored them. I could feel fresh tears replacing the ones I wiped away.
Mrs. Knott was in the hallway, shepherding my homeroom class out from an unused classroom. "Taylor, are you alright?"
I ignored her and walked faster to the end of the hall, and the exit. But I couldn't ignore all of my classmates. Most didn't even look. I saw few give me pity or sympathy. I saw Madison's friends give me smirks, knowing they had gotten her off clean. I broke into a run.
"Taylor! Please come back!"
I could hear Mrs. Knott calling for me, but I just ran harder. I slammed into the push bar for the door to the front lot, and kept running. Tears streaming.
I stopped, out of breath and sobbing. I had run all the way to the edge of the Docks, and was now sitting against the side of an abandoned building, hidden by the shade and crumbling brick.
My Dad was going to show up to school, and hear everything that had happened to me. My accusation, this incident, and their stories. I hadn't wanted him to know what had been done to me, with as much on his plate already. And I was going to have to explain it all to him. The emails, Mom's recorder being stolen, the locker, and more.
And it would get worse. Much worse, now that Madison and Emma wouldn't be punished. And Sophia's guardian wouldn't be there to enforce his order. My fear that if I reported them that they could spin it was turning out to be horrifically true. And now, they would have free reign.
And there was nothing I could do to stop them.
"Betrayed."
I started, as a voice shouted above me, then shrieked, and scooted backwards. Not two feet above me, a spider over half my size was clinging to the wall, staring at me with a plethora of eyes. And it talked.
"Weak. You struggled, and failed. Doomed to be chattel before the stronger, the victors." As it spoke in a sibilant whisper, it jumped behind me. I flipped around, and put my back to the wall, breathing hard.
"Oppressed, denied, and feeble. Forever weak..." It trailed off, and slowly walked first onto my feet, then knees, until it was resting its forelegs on my knees, staring into my face, as I shook and tried to press myself deeper into the brick. It looked like a jet black statue come to life, and had fangs the size of my hands not six inches from my face. Intelligent eyes bored into mine, as it seemed to stare through me.
It spoke so quietly that I could barely hear it, "But I too share in those failings. Your fears, your pain. I serve those who were betrayed, who were cast down, as were you. Who have been unjustly usurped by those who were to serve them. And they see your potential, your greatness. That was denied from you!"
"Who?" I stammered out.
"The Titans, who built Creation and all within it. They offer you service without slavery, power beyond mortal knowledge. You have been chosen too be their agent, their princess, their harbinger in all things. Decide now, for it has been too long, too far for me to hold this. The power you could have is killing me as we speak. Will you accept you right? Will you accept your charge to restore Creation to its rightful order?"
Did I want powers?
They wouldn't even be a blip on my screen anymore. I could help my dad. I could be a hero. I could do so much more as a cape. My answer was easy.
I stated clearly, "Yes!"
Without pause, the spider exploded into a cloud of shadows, and enveloped me, with nothing I could do but scream.
AN: So, Exalted/Worm. Simply: Taylor didn't trigger. So, lo and behold, an Anuhle (Weaver, geddit?) pops up with an offer. Some other things that will probably bug people:
First, remember that Taylor's viewpoint in both this and the source are first person. No omniscient narrator here. So, she can take things the wrong way, or not see obvious things, etc. And, she's a bit more teary because A, she was just in a bio-warfare locker, and B, in Gestation, she has powers. She has a purpose and I could say, Motivation. Here, she has just been sucker punched, emotionally as well as physically. Rather fragile at the moment compared to months of planning and building up to be a hero.
The principal was and is going to punish the girls, but she has to cross the t's and dot the i's. Her main failing was showing up right after Taylor had been pulled out, and trying to fix the problem immediately. Taylor was in no shape for that.
And, Infernal Exaltations pop up at the worst times. When the potential Infernal is rotting in jail after failing to steal a jewel, has lost their entire family, or generally when they have failed, surprise!
Working on the next part.
A cabinet sat in a dusty room. Its pale green surface was illuminated only by a window, the light filtered through ages of grime. Gentle whorls marred the otherwise perfect surface of the cabinet, combining to form a graceful handle and lock.
In it, surrounded by stale air, shelves of tiny pots – of gold, silver, and glimmering steel – sat in neat rows. Each one labeled, and placed exactly with its cousins. Some were plain, others so intricate to seem impossibly fragility, but all were in perfect condition, with nary a scratch.
A faint rattle broke the stillness of the room. Another, and than another, until it became a constant buzzing. A golden pot, streaked with lines of bronze and black, shook in its place, vibrating so fast as to be a blur. Tiny cracks spider webbed out from the lid, and a faint green and purple glow emanated from them.
The crack of a thunderous detonation shook the room, rattling the window and pots, and blasting a wave of dust away from the cabinet. In it, a ball of shadow, purest black, covered the offending pot. As the dust settled, so too did the ball fade away, leaving a broken pot, with nothing in it.
I screamed. Begged, even. Cried, sobbed, and wailed. Or, at least when I could. My elbows were already bruised and bloody from beating at the door. I could feel vomit, and other things best unspoken of. I had been surprised by them before but this, this was just too much.
Upon returning from Winter Break, my detente with my tormentors had been called off without my knowledge. Or, it was never really real, if the volume in my locker was any indicator. My bullies – Sophie, Madison, and Emma, had been waiting for me. As I opened my locker, I received a full inhalation of its contents; used pads and tampons, fermented. I retched, and nearly vomited. Until I was shoved into my locker, and did vomit. And the door was shut behind me. I could hear the lock click, even over my messy evacuation of my stomach, and followed, of course, by what could only be laughter.
I wasn't laughing.
My cries for help broke down to whimpers, as I knew no one was coming. Class had started, and no one was patrolling the halls right after a vacation. It was getting harder to breathe, and when I did, it was followed by dry heaves. My stomach had long ago reached empty. I was trapped here, and I could feel the metal walls closing in, with their sticky cargo. I tried to think of anywhere else, to be somewhere else, anything to help.
Nothing. Just the merciful grasp of unconsciousness.
An instant later, I scrambled off the bed, scraping at my body to get everything off.
"Miss Hebert!" Ms. Fletcher, the school nurse, stunned me out of my panic. "You are all right. Calm, deep breaths, now."
She made gentle gestures for me to fall back onto the bed. My heart beating a thousand times a minute, and sucking in the amazing disinfectant-tinged air, I did. My arms moved almost on their own accord, to spread out, and prop me up facing her. The ability to move did more than her words to calm me down.
"Good, nice and easy now. Deep breaths." She exaggerated her breathing, matching it with mine. For several minutes, the only sound was our breathing and faint rumble of the heater. "Are you feeling okay?"
I gave a shaky nod. "Very good. Now, can you tell me what happened?"
She reached for a clipboard behind, and turned expectant eyes on me. I took several more deep breaths, and exhaled with purpose.
"I was pushed in there."
Her eyebrows rose, even as she wrote. "Pushed? By who?"
I wanted to scream that of course I was pushed. But, this was my chance. They had crossed too many lines with this, this crime, and finally it would be over. I slowed my breathing from its again increased rate, and sat up.
"Sophia Hess, Madison Clements, and Emma Barnes."
Nodding as she transcribed my words, she stood. "A moment, please."
She crossed the room, and opened the door to reveal the principal. I could only see her hair, but the blond bowl-cut could only be her. They spoke a few quiet words, and Ms. Fletcher handed her the clipboard. She turned back to me, and gave me a smile. The principal, however, barely looked at me, and closed the door. My stomach clenched. No sympathy or kind words. My hands tightened around my arms, even as I realized I had been rubbing my them. I stopped myself, and looked to Ms. Fletcher.
"Could you call my father? He should be working today-"
"Already done. Not five minutes ago, the Union said they had reached him, and he was on his way. Something about a meeting with an aide."
At least my Dad would be here for me. I closed my eyes to gather my thoughts, until interrupted.
"Ms. Hebert? I think you may want this."
I opened my eyes to see Ms. Fletcher offering me a small, plastic cup of water. I nearly snatched it out of her hands, and drained it. It tasted faintly of blood and vomit and -
She offered me another, and gave me a sympathetic look. "I thought you might want to rinse out your mouth first..." She trailed off, and her face became a bit more contrite. "I couldn't clean out your mouth."
Embarrassed, but touched, I took the second cup and handed her the first. I drank this one far slower, merely sipping. The office went quiet as I finished my water, and as I looked up, I saw her carrying a tub of sponges, faintly stained red, and my clothes, also stained. Shocked, I looked down, and found I was wearing a blouse two sizes too large, trousers one size too large, and socks that barely reached above my ankle.
Noticing my surprise, Ms. Fletcher said, "You couldn't wear those, so I put you in some clothes we keep on hand in case of lice or accidents. Mostly for Chemistry accidents."
"Thank you." I said, quietly. She gave me a friendly nod, and went back to work. I brought my feet up onto the bed, and wrapped my arms around my legs, resting my chin on my knees. I focused my eyes on the wall, and thought.
I had thought it was over. The bullying had simmered down in November, with no incidents at all in December. I had become hopeful that it was completely over. Maybe Emma would even apologize. Evidently not. I wiped the beginning of tears from my eyes.
The door opened again, and the principal walked in, along with Sophia, Emma, and Madison. Behind Sophia, a taller man, in his late twenties stood, with his hand on her shoulder. He was the only one of the four giving me a sympathetic look.
"Ms. Hebert." The principal began, "These three have something they want to say to you."
What?
"I'm sorry, Taylor." Madison said, with the other two repeating after her. Emma and Madison gave me exaggerated looks of pity. Sophia gave me something mixed between pity and a sneer.
"Thank you girls." The principal made a shooing motion towards the door. All three girls turned and began moving towards the door, with her following. Sophia's (stepfather?) stayed and opened his mouth.
I beat him to it. "That's it?"
The principal turned back from then now open door. "Ms. Hebert?"
"They assaulted me, shoved me into a locker with used tampons, and that's it!?"
I finally got a response from her; a false face of pity and real exasperation. "Ms. Hebert, it is your word against theirs, and your homeroom class, who were in the same hall as you, all say that nothing of the sort happened."
I was speechless, but only momentarily. "I sure didn't put myself in there."
"And when the custodian removed you, you were facing in. You might not have gotten a good look at who did this, and we -"
"Good look? I got a good look when they dragged and forced me in!"
"Ms. Hebert, please. We are trying to solve this altercation- "
I interrupted again, "And this isn't even the first time! They have been threatening me, stealing from me, harassing me, abusing me."
The principal frowned, and gave a quick look at the girls, "When has this been happening?"
"Ever since last September."
"And why have you not come forward with this?"
Because you wouldn't take my word. You would take Madison's over mine. You would take Emma's, my friend, and Sophia's, who is glaring a hole in me, over mine. I wanted to say it, but didn't. The principal waited, then sighed. "Ms. Hebert, this is the first we have heard of this. These are serious allegations. However, at this time, I will not assign punishments without due cause."
I could feel tears in the corner of my eyes, and let out a bitter laugh. "Due cause."
"Ms. Hebert -"
"So nothing is going to happen then?"
"A proper investigation will be conducted."
"And actions like this will not be tolerated." The first words from Sophia's guardian, and in my support. He was giving her a look I couldn't see, but I could see her sullenly glare at him.
I wiped away my tears, and stood. "So nothing. No justice. Nothing."
The principal frowned, and said, "I will not hand out punishments for some form of eye-for-an-eye."
I brushed past her, and the four of them. "Ms. Hebert, where are you going?"
The nurse's and principal's question overlapped, but I ignored them. I could feel fresh tears replacing the ones I wiped away.
Mrs. Knott was in the hallway, shepherding my homeroom class out from an unused classroom. "Taylor, are you alright?"
I ignored her and walked faster to the end of the hall, and the exit. But I couldn't ignore all of my classmates. Most didn't even look. I saw few give me pity or sympathy. I saw Madison's friends give me smirks, knowing they had gotten her off clean. I broke into a run.
"Taylor! Please come back!"
I could hear Mrs. Knott calling for me, but I just ran harder. I slammed into the push bar for the door to the front lot, and kept running. Tears streaming.
I stopped, out of breath and sobbing. I had run all the way to the edge of the Docks, and was now sitting against the side of an abandoned building, hidden by the shade and crumbling brick.
My Dad was going to show up to school, and hear everything that had happened to me. My accusation, this incident, and their stories. I hadn't wanted him to know what had been done to me, with as much on his plate already. And I was going to have to explain it all to him. The emails, Mom's recorder being stolen, the locker, and more.
And it would get worse. Much worse, now that Madison and Emma wouldn't be punished. And Sophia's guardian wouldn't be there to enforce his order. My fear that if I reported them that they could spin it was turning out to be horrifically true. And now, they would have free reign.
And there was nothing I could do to stop them.
"Betrayed."
I started, as a voice shouted above me, then shrieked, and scooted backwards. Not two feet above me, a spider over half my size was clinging to the wall, staring at me with a plethora of eyes. And it talked.
"Weak. You struggled, and failed. Doomed to be chattel before the stronger, the victors." As it spoke in a sibilant whisper, it jumped behind me. I flipped around, and put my back to the wall, breathing hard.
"Oppressed, denied, and feeble. Forever weak..." It trailed off, and slowly walked first onto my feet, then knees, until it was resting its forelegs on my knees, staring into my face, as I shook and tried to press myself deeper into the brick. It looked like a jet black statue come to life, and had fangs the size of my hands not six inches from my face. Intelligent eyes bored into mine, as it seemed to stare through me.
It spoke so quietly that I could barely hear it, "But I too share in those failings. Your fears, your pain. I serve those who were betrayed, who were cast down, as were you. Who have been unjustly usurped by those who were to serve them. And they see your potential, your greatness. That was denied from you!"
"Who?" I stammered out.
"The Titans, who built Creation and all within it. They offer you service without slavery, power beyond mortal knowledge. You have been chosen too be their agent, their princess, their harbinger in all things. Decide now, for it has been too long, too far for me to hold this. The power you could have is killing me as we speak. Will you accept you right? Will you accept your charge to restore Creation to its rightful order?"
Did I want powers?
They wouldn't even be a blip on my screen anymore. I could help my dad. I could be a hero. I could do so much more as a cape. My answer was easy.
I stated clearly, "Yes!"
Without pause, the spider exploded into a cloud of shadows, and enveloped me, with nothing I could do but scream.
AN: So, Exalted/Worm. Simply: Taylor didn't trigger. So, lo and behold, an Anuhle (Weaver, geddit?) pops up with an offer. Some other things that will probably bug people:
First, remember that Taylor's viewpoint in both this and the source are first person. No omniscient narrator here. So, she can take things the wrong way, or not see obvious things, etc. And, she's a bit more teary because A, she was just in a bio-warfare locker, and B, in Gestation, she has powers. She has a purpose and I could say, Motivation. Here, she has just been sucker punched, emotionally as well as physically. Rather fragile at the moment compared to months of planning and building up to be a hero.
The principal was and is going to punish the girls, but she has to cross the t's and dot the i's. Her main failing was showing up right after Taylor had been pulled out, and trying to fix the problem immediately. Taylor was in no shape for that.
And, Infernal Exaltations pop up at the worst times. When the potential Infernal is rotting in jail after failing to steal a jewel, has lost their entire family, or generally when they have failed, surprise!
Working on the next part.
logiccosmic
the Prince of Word Crimes
- Location
- the Hague, formerly
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Second Breath 1.2
My prison shattered, pieces falling in a ring around me. On my hands and knees, I shivered in the biting wind. Reflected in the black, glassy surface of my cocoon, a pillar of pure black, chased with greens and bronze punctured the sky. It blotted out the stars and moon, and gave an eerie glow to everything within sight. Around me, a sea of shadows writhed and frolicked, as bronze shapes darted to and fro in my peripheral vision.
I was also naked.
More importantly, I was naked, in the Docks, at night, with a come hither light show playing above my head that put New York City to shame. And, I had powers. Hopefully. Standing, I used my arms to preserve what modesty I had left. Or, I tried to, as I missed. My arms were longer. Fascinated, I stare at my hands, now subtly longer, and more, spidery.
I stopped myself, and made the connection that my impromptu debutante announcement might attract other attention, specifically of the cape variety. I took a hesitant step onto the concrete, and winced at the feeling. Another, and another, until I was shuffling, one arm high and the other low, across the abandoned lot. A glance over my shoulder showed the pillar collapsing, with bursts of green and bronze exploding with eye-searing brightness.
Shit. I shuffled faster, reaching the alley between a pair of buildings as the glow around me subsided to a corona of green light, with my feet covered in shadows. I passed a dumpster as I heard the sharp report of someone landing on gravel. I had been found already? They must have been only a thousand feet away to get here so quickly. I slipped behind the rusted dumpster as I heard metal plates crash together. And thankfully, I had finally stopped glowing green.
Standing in front of my cocoon, kicking the plates, was a cape. Wearing a camouflaged cape, even. I looked them up and down, eyes straining in the dim light to take in everything I could, and as I stared at her I felt a strange, almost-burning sensation behind my eyes and in my tear ducts. Was I about to start crying again? Was this some strange toxic power of the cape, a tear gas effect or something?
The burning didn't hurt - in fact, it felt strangely good, and as I took her in a wave of synaesthesia washed over me. I felt more than tasted a sharp jab of smoky wind on my tongue, and opened my mouth, nearly gagging. An irrational spike of spite accompanied it, clenching my mouth back together. I screwed my eyes shut, blinking heavily, and when I opened them again, the sensation was gone. But I could feel it lurking in my mind, like - I don't even know how to explain it, like something I knew how to do as easily as blinking. Close my eyes - I can no longer see; make my eyes feel hot and sting - taste-smell-see-feel-hear power. Strange, but I knew what I was now; a Thinker, apparently.
I suppressed a grin of fierce joy, followed by shivering teeth, turned, and shuffled, low to the ground in the general direction of home. I had barely reached the corner of the building and the road when the roar of a motorcycle stopped me in my tracks. I crouched lower, and leaned against the building, wincing at the bricks abrading my skin. This cape I knew. The entire country probably knew him. He even had action figures. Armsmaster, his Halberd held like a knight's lance, roared past the entrance. I could hear a squeal of tires, and the engine moved around and behind me, finally stopping.
A male voice, raised in anger, but incomprehensible, erupted behind me. I could hear a faint female voice, and then a new male and female voice. A flash of white marred the sky, but still paled in comparison to the still shrinking pillar. I bit my lip in concentration. More capes had arrived, and I would bet that was Photon Mom, a flier, from the light. I didn't know if I could leave without exposing myself. Literally and figuratively.
I didn't want to be unmasked before I even had made my costume. I couldn't fight heroes, and any moment one could fly over the road if I tried to cross it. I would be easily visible to the naked eye with the faint green light pervading from behind me. A disguise, preferably as resident of the Docks would be my best bet. If I could reach the dumpster, I could possibly find some clothes before the heroes searched the surrounding area. I fixed the image I wanted, fervently hoping I could find a disguise, and took a deep breath to steel my nerves.
As I stood, I could feel cool arms wrapping around my body. I nearly shrieked in surprise, but they were accompanied by the same feeling that I should know what this was, that it was natural. I was cloaking myself in shadows. I stood fully upright, and looked down. I now looked like a man, taller and bulkier than I was, wearing stained and well-worn clothing. With a smile on my face, I resumed my shuffle across the road, trying to look inebriated.
I thought my heart would explode before I reach the other side, but I made it. I crossed two more lots, another road, and two lots, before I reached a street that I knew would lead home. A wave of relief eased my feet, only eclipsed by my delight in having two powers.
A muffled thud behind me nearly stopped my heart. Dreading who could be behind me, I kept moving.
"Excuse me, sir."
I resisted the urge to bolt, and turned. One of the Wards, and the only one I knew by name was behind me. Aegis, in a dark red costume, whom the only thing I knew about was that he was nearly as tough as Alexandria. My mouth went bone dry.
I grunted at him.
"Sir, have you seen anything strange this evening?" He politely asked.
Another grunt, and I pointed over his head, at the nearly exhausted pillar, for effect.
A pained look crossed his face, and he replied with a bit of exasperation, "Anything else, anyone leaving that area?"
Urging him to leave in my mind, I felt something empty within me as I lied, pointing repeatedly in the direction of the buildings to my right, and turned around to walk away.
"Thank you sir. Aegis here, sighting west of the site."
I moved far quicker, now. As fast as I could, shaking as adrenaline wore off. And from relief that he had bought that.
I only had 5 miles to go.
Tired, freezing, and with bloody feet, I finally turned onto my street. Not four houses down, I could see the lights on in my Dad's bedroom. I winced, as I had disappeared from school and was just now showing up, in the middle of the night. He had surely talked to the principal, and was probably worried sick about me.
But I was a cape. I had something no one could take away from me. I was something that Emma, that Sophia and Madison could never be. I had a silly smile on my face.
Now I just had to think of names, and a costume. My disguise definitely didn't block out the wind, so I couldn't use it as a permanent costume, or at least go naked beneath it again. But I could have a disguise on top of a disguise now.
I could call myself Mata Hari. Or Spy Lady.
I really needed to sit down in my warm home. I wasn't thinking quite straight.
I reached the backdoor, and paused. If it was locked, I would have to knock, and drop my disguise, and be naked on my back porch to greet my Dad. I didn't want him to know I was a cape quite yet. Or if I walked inside, disguised as a very shabby drunk, I would let him know I was a cape, or have the police called on me.
My worries turned out to be for naught, as I turned the unlocked handle. Closing and locking it behind me by habit, I dropped the shadows from my body, and rushed towards the linen closet. A fresh towel wrapped around me, I returned to the kitchen, and placed my right foot on the sink. I winced at the dirt, and the small cuts it covered. Spraying hot water on it wasn't pleasant, but I needed them clean.
"Taylor!"
I nearly dropped my towel in surprise. The sprayer fell into the sink, and sprayed right into my back until I reached back and turned it off.
"Dad, I'm sorry I was out-" My apology was cut off as my Dad rushed over and hugged me tight. I squeaked in surprise. He pulled back, but kept his hands on my shoulders, smiling with relief.
"I was so worried, Taylor! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"Just my feet, Dad. I'm sorry I left school today, I just couldn't -"
He cut me off again, this time with worry twisting his face. "Taylor, it's been five days."
A/N: Reality to Taylor, in all timelines: You want dignity? Haha, no. A bit short, but the next scene doesn't really fit in here. But it's already written, so next one will be easier.
Sorta-but not really spoiler: Shadow Stalker was looking for Grue about this time in canon timeline (And shot him so he bled all over a nice couch), and with the events of the past week, I figured, giant pillar of shadow is going to get her goat.
Also: Spite: Equal Essence. Contempt would be lesser, and vary degrees of Hate would be greater.
EDIT: A/N the 2nd: I kept second guessing myself on the Taylor's voice after everyone said I nailed it. I would appreciate the feedback to see if I kept it.
My prison shattered, pieces falling in a ring around me. On my hands and knees, I shivered in the biting wind. Reflected in the black, glassy surface of my cocoon, a pillar of pure black, chased with greens and bronze punctured the sky. It blotted out the stars and moon, and gave an eerie glow to everything within sight. Around me, a sea of shadows writhed and frolicked, as bronze shapes darted to and fro in my peripheral vision.
I was also naked.
More importantly, I was naked, in the Docks, at night, with a come hither light show playing above my head that put New York City to shame. And, I had powers. Hopefully. Standing, I used my arms to preserve what modesty I had left. Or, I tried to, as I missed. My arms were longer. Fascinated, I stare at my hands, now subtly longer, and more, spidery.
I stopped myself, and made the connection that my impromptu debutante announcement might attract other attention, specifically of the cape variety. I took a hesitant step onto the concrete, and winced at the feeling. Another, and another, until I was shuffling, one arm high and the other low, across the abandoned lot. A glance over my shoulder showed the pillar collapsing, with bursts of green and bronze exploding with eye-searing brightness.
Shit. I shuffled faster, reaching the alley between a pair of buildings as the glow around me subsided to a corona of green light, with my feet covered in shadows. I passed a dumpster as I heard the sharp report of someone landing on gravel. I had been found already? They must have been only a thousand feet away to get here so quickly. I slipped behind the rusted dumpster as I heard metal plates crash together. And thankfully, I had finally stopped glowing green.
Standing in front of my cocoon, kicking the plates, was a cape. Wearing a camouflaged cape, even. I looked them up and down, eyes straining in the dim light to take in everything I could, and as I stared at her I felt a strange, almost-burning sensation behind my eyes and in my tear ducts. Was I about to start crying again? Was this some strange toxic power of the cape, a tear gas effect or something?
The burning didn't hurt - in fact, it felt strangely good, and as I took her in a wave of synaesthesia washed over me. I felt more than tasted a sharp jab of smoky wind on my tongue, and opened my mouth, nearly gagging. An irrational spike of spite accompanied it, clenching my mouth back together. I screwed my eyes shut, blinking heavily, and when I opened them again, the sensation was gone. But I could feel it lurking in my mind, like - I don't even know how to explain it, like something I knew how to do as easily as blinking. Close my eyes - I can no longer see; make my eyes feel hot and sting - taste-smell-see-feel-hear power. Strange, but I knew what I was now; a Thinker, apparently.
I suppressed a grin of fierce joy, followed by shivering teeth, turned, and shuffled, low to the ground in the general direction of home. I had barely reached the corner of the building and the road when the roar of a motorcycle stopped me in my tracks. I crouched lower, and leaned against the building, wincing at the bricks abrading my skin. This cape I knew. The entire country probably knew him. He even had action figures. Armsmaster, his Halberd held like a knight's lance, roared past the entrance. I could hear a squeal of tires, and the engine moved around and behind me, finally stopping.
A male voice, raised in anger, but incomprehensible, erupted behind me. I could hear a faint female voice, and then a new male and female voice. A flash of white marred the sky, but still paled in comparison to the still shrinking pillar. I bit my lip in concentration. More capes had arrived, and I would bet that was Photon Mom, a flier, from the light. I didn't know if I could leave without exposing myself. Literally and figuratively.
I didn't want to be unmasked before I even had made my costume. I couldn't fight heroes, and any moment one could fly over the road if I tried to cross it. I would be easily visible to the naked eye with the faint green light pervading from behind me. A disguise, preferably as resident of the Docks would be my best bet. If I could reach the dumpster, I could possibly find some clothes before the heroes searched the surrounding area. I fixed the image I wanted, fervently hoping I could find a disguise, and took a deep breath to steel my nerves.
As I stood, I could feel cool arms wrapping around my body. I nearly shrieked in surprise, but they were accompanied by the same feeling that I should know what this was, that it was natural. I was cloaking myself in shadows. I stood fully upright, and looked down. I now looked like a man, taller and bulkier than I was, wearing stained and well-worn clothing. With a smile on my face, I resumed my shuffle across the road, trying to look inebriated.
I thought my heart would explode before I reach the other side, but I made it. I crossed two more lots, another road, and two lots, before I reached a street that I knew would lead home. A wave of relief eased my feet, only eclipsed by my delight in having two powers.
A muffled thud behind me nearly stopped my heart. Dreading who could be behind me, I kept moving.
"Excuse me, sir."
I resisted the urge to bolt, and turned. One of the Wards, and the only one I knew by name was behind me. Aegis, in a dark red costume, whom the only thing I knew about was that he was nearly as tough as Alexandria. My mouth went bone dry.
I grunted at him.
"Sir, have you seen anything strange this evening?" He politely asked.
Another grunt, and I pointed over his head, at the nearly exhausted pillar, for effect.
A pained look crossed his face, and he replied with a bit of exasperation, "Anything else, anyone leaving that area?"
Urging him to leave in my mind, I felt something empty within me as I lied, pointing repeatedly in the direction of the buildings to my right, and turned around to walk away.
"Thank you sir. Aegis here, sighting west of the site."
I moved far quicker, now. As fast as I could, shaking as adrenaline wore off. And from relief that he had bought that.
I only had 5 miles to go.
Tired, freezing, and with bloody feet, I finally turned onto my street. Not four houses down, I could see the lights on in my Dad's bedroom. I winced, as I had disappeared from school and was just now showing up, in the middle of the night. He had surely talked to the principal, and was probably worried sick about me.
But I was a cape. I had something no one could take away from me. I was something that Emma, that Sophia and Madison could never be. I had a silly smile on my face.
Now I just had to think of names, and a costume. My disguise definitely didn't block out the wind, so I couldn't use it as a permanent costume, or at least go naked beneath it again. But I could have a disguise on top of a disguise now.
I could call myself Mata Hari. Or Spy Lady.
I really needed to sit down in my warm home. I wasn't thinking quite straight.
I reached the backdoor, and paused. If it was locked, I would have to knock, and drop my disguise, and be naked on my back porch to greet my Dad. I didn't want him to know I was a cape quite yet. Or if I walked inside, disguised as a very shabby drunk, I would let him know I was a cape, or have the police called on me.
My worries turned out to be for naught, as I turned the unlocked handle. Closing and locking it behind me by habit, I dropped the shadows from my body, and rushed towards the linen closet. A fresh towel wrapped around me, I returned to the kitchen, and placed my right foot on the sink. I winced at the dirt, and the small cuts it covered. Spraying hot water on it wasn't pleasant, but I needed them clean.
"Taylor!"
I nearly dropped my towel in surprise. The sprayer fell into the sink, and sprayed right into my back until I reached back and turned it off.
"Dad, I'm sorry I was out-" My apology was cut off as my Dad rushed over and hugged me tight. I squeaked in surprise. He pulled back, but kept his hands on my shoulders, smiling with relief.
"I was so worried, Taylor! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"Just my feet, Dad. I'm sorry I left school today, I just couldn't -"
He cut me off again, this time with worry twisting his face. "Taylor, it's been five days."
A/N: Reality to Taylor, in all timelines: You want dignity? Haha, no. A bit short, but the next scene doesn't really fit in here. But it's already written, so next one will be easier.
Sorta-but not really spoiler: Shadow Stalker was looking for Grue about this time in canon timeline (And shot him so he bled all over a nice couch), and with the events of the past week, I figured, giant pillar of shadow is going to get her goat.
Also: Spite: Equal Essence. Contempt would be lesser, and vary degrees of Hate would be greater.
EDIT: A/N the 2nd: I kept second guessing myself on the Taylor's voice after everyone said I nailed it. I would appreciate the feedback to see if I kept it.
logiccosmic
the Prince of Word Crimes
- Location
- the Hague, formerly
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Heh.Harish said:
Spoiler for the end of Chapter 1: That's the interlude right there. Needless to say, pre-cogs are getting some 401 and 404 errors on anything involving Brockton Bay, varying in scale if they are trying to focus on Taylor and her Chrysalis. Bigger surprise for them: It lessened in severity for a period that it would take someone to walk about 5 and a half miles. If they really payed attention; they would have found a drunk named drunkymcdrunkyton who had not existed previously.
Spoilery reply: Cauldron is totally freaking out right about now, aren't they? After all, Coil is an important piece in their plans. Will we see some members of the Triumvirate "visiting" the city?logiccosmic said:
logiccosmic
the Prince of Word Crimes
- Location
- the Hague, formerly
- Pronouns
- He/Him
All I'll say is that I have chapters planned out. In no particular order, some names: Escalation, Usurpation, Cataclysm.Yog said:
logiccosmic
the Prince of Word Crimes
- Location
- the Hague, formerly
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I can neither deny nor confirm. Let's just say if you are assuming all things from canon!Worm stay the same, prepare to be surprised.Harish said:
Off-topic on this question; 1.3 is nearly finished, should be out this afternoon. 1.4 already has the end scene completed, and just needs the middle parts fleshed out from outlines.
My personal hope is that she'll be alone and an OCP for a long time. After all, if Exalts were common or even something rare, but present, they would have been noticed by the Entity (and per-existence of exalts necessitates Creation cosmology, which would have made the entities stay the hell away). And OCPs are fun. Now, one exalt, or very few appearing at some point could be overlooked / gone unnoticed.Harish said:
Or, at least, if she's not the only one, I dearly hope that she's the first one.
But that's just my hopes.
EDIT:
It'll be interesting to see, and I'll be looking to reading the coming chapters.logiccosmic said:
logiccosmic
the Prince of Word Crimes
- Location
- the Hague, formerly
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hehehe. She will remain an OCP for quite some time; even if the Five Score Fellowship was in charge of Cauldron; Infernals are an OCP. That's it for now. People will learn about her the hard way. Through direct experience.Yog said:
I'll have to join my voice here, at least partially. Now, I got what Loom Snarling Deception does, but I'm still asking myself what the effect of Insignificant Embers Intuition was and why it made Taylor conclude that she triggered as a Thinker.Carrnage said:
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
I think it does something like give you an inkling of the stats of your adversaries?Yog said:
Yeah, I got it from the wiki - it gives you the strength of the target relative to yours. The point is - it's mentioned in the story, but the effects are not described.Conjured Blade said:
Yzarc
The Spark of Madness
Carrnage said:
Agreed to both.Yog said:
Kylar
In Training Forever
- Location
- Canada
Yog said:
Sorta. It gives you their Essence rating and a tells you the nature of that essence (Solar, Sidereal, Mortal, etc). Here it seems to give a hint as to the nature of the persons power. Speculation: It actually looses most of its utility in Worm, due to the nature of parahuman powers not being essence based (thus strength comparison fails) and powers being so varied that the hint probably isn't going to do much good. At a guess, the only things that probably set off the Essence comparison function are the Endbringers, Scion, and maybe the Contessa (given how energy consumptive precog is) and the Triumvirate. In those cases, the only one it is likely to be useful is Contessa, as rest she knows going in those beings are WTFHAX level.Conjured Blade said:
Undead-Spaceman
Skeleton Supreme
- Location
- Somewhere in Orbit
Alternatively, it could be sorta like Chevalier's powersight but with smell and taste rather than flickering ghost images.Harish said:
It could produce the result along the lines of "the person you are using it on is a parahuman; Brute; between 4 and 7 on the classification scale". Or seomthing simpler "you have no chance against this person in a direct fight", "you can crush this mortal before you as if he was a bug".Harish said:
Yzarc
The Spark of Madness
Kylar
In Training Forever
- Location
- Canada
Well, lets be fair: there have been two snips thus far. We haven't had a chance for, say, Tattletale to run an analysis for exposition yet. Also, assuming my speculation on their not being an difference in essence strength to detect is right, what we saw was more or less all it could do.UberJJK said:
That said: a lot of Infernal charms are of the always on permanent variety. Also, Taylor is missing the users guide for her Exaltation, and hasn't had a chance to play with her new charms much. Its a bit soon to be decrying a lack of information on charms effects, when exposition is likely coming.
That's the closest comparison I can think of.Undead-Spaceman said:
But that is not what the charm does. It's a very plausible upgrade to the charm, yes. But its not what it does (OCP cut both ways here). Besides, it already tells you if someone is a parahuman or not.Yog said:
And before you go 'there should be some essence equivalent for the compare power scales to function off' answer me this: how do you assign an Essence rating to a given parahuman? Particularly thinkers and tinkers? Trust me on this, it doesn't work well.
Oh, I won't go that way - I have a heartly respect for both settings. Taylor could adapt it, maybe, to do that, but originally it would probably work as advertised in Creation. Which is how? Because the "comparative strength" is lifted from the wiki. What does it actually say and how does it work lorewise?Kylar said:
On how to assign powers to thinkers and tinkers... Well, one way to do it would be to produce a chance of victory. Basically, something like Contessa's/Dinah's power - the charm generating the number that tells you how big of a chance you have against the opponent, and nothing else.
It tells you if someone is parahuman or not? I missed that. Ok. If she experiments with it / makes it permanently active (can she do it?) then figuring out Sophia would happen early. Hell, if it works over TV (does it? Is there any analogue in Creation? Scrying pools perhaps?), then she'll find out about Alexandria long in advance to where she did in canon.
Robo Jesus
Your Mechanical Messiah
...I think I'm going to add a link to this story in my sig. I think I'll do the same with the other StarCraft/Worm story if/when it updates as well. Not enough Worm fanfiction. Also, I do have to echo the sentiment that you need to expand a bit about what some of these charms do, though I think I know one of the consequences you're going to pull soon here due to it, and if you're doing what I think you're doing, I have to give you credit. Still, I am enjoying this immensely.
Also, before anyone starts bugging me about what I think the author is using that for, the first thing Taylor sensed was "smoky wind" when she used it, which would thematically match up with Shadow Stalker, meaning she should get the connection that Sophia is a cape right away, leading to unintended consequences and/or confrontation.
Also, before anyone starts bugging me about what I think the author is using that for, the first thing Taylor sensed was "smoky wind" when she used it, which would thematically match up with Shadow Stalker, meaning she should get the connection that Sophia is a cape right away, leading to unintended consequences and/or confrontation.
Kylar
In Training Forever
- Location
- Canada
Ok, quote time:
Basically, it works solely on Essence stat, and nothing more or less. Pretty much becomes permanently active at E4 (with errata changes). No clue if it works over TV, but I would guess not.