There's WOG on this somewhere. Victor cannot siphon off of Taylor; Headway will just look at the puny crystalline computer parasite and say 'lol no'.
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Headway/Nexus Quest 4 (Worm/Gamer-lite/Multicross/Dimensional Travel/One Piece/X-Men Evo)
Yep, that's basically what I meant. Getting substantially involved with giving the PRT/Protectorate new toys will involve a lot of trust from them towards Factota, and you guys aren't even registered with the PRT yet. (I'm not sure if this is because of lack of interest from the players, if you wanted to wait a bit, or if you weren't aware of independent heroes registering with the PRT. There are plenty of independent heroes who aren't registered with the PRT.
If you're wanting to stay on the down-low for a while, it might even be a decent idea to avoid making waves and registering with the PRT. It's up to you guys, really.
The PRT isn't going to trust some random cape they don't know to equip them, give them tech that might break down, be sabotaged, be secretly spyware, etc.
If there's interest, I will add an option to register with the PRT to be attached to the next update.
There's also the Whitelist. (PHO Sunday prime posts by Wildbow should be considered canon for this quest, but not the comments. Setting up a Whitelist account would be a massive project, a huge pain in the ass, would give Factota a spotlight I'm not sure you guys are comfortable with, and isn't something I think Taylor has the time for just yet. Get to a better spot first in terms of time availability, and signing up for the Whitelist can be an option.)
For now, you guys seem to want a very conservative strategy on Bet, so I wouldn't even worry about money on Bet for a while.
Confirmed. See, I'm not all mean as a GM.
I'm gonna go ahead and close the vote a bit early, so I can get started on writing - I'm antsy to do more work on this quest, and no votes came in today. That's a liiiitle worrying, but I choose to believe people are either catching up on the old quest or they want to see me prove that this quest is a going concern.
Plan This is a Croc v.3 wins with 7 votes, over Plan Bonuses and Photos, with 4.
Here are rolls in spoilers.
Day 1
73:75. Seaman (AoS) 8 not unlocked.
68:90. Boatswain 9 not unlocked.
44:60. Teaching 4 not unlocked.
13:70. Carpentry 4 not unlocked. (These four refers to general bosun-ing/hanging out with Usopp, doing carpentry)
36:50. No extra loot from Tommy's Hardware visit. The 'loot' would have just been some broken tools for you to repair at a later date, maybe give to Usopp.
16:100. Ninjutsu 0 (category skill) not unlocked.
92:??. Very successful result re: Vivi conversation. Before I give any concrete information on what this result entails, I want to double-check some things in the manga. This is a good result, I just don't want to commit to anything without double-checking Whiskey Peak to get a good read on Vivi's personality and so on. You should consider this a success.
Day 2
51:60. Seaman (AoS) 8 not unlocked.
06:80. Boatswain 9 not unlocked.
53:40. Teaching 4 unlocked. Usopp - very slight increase in some Carpentry skills
51:30. Carpentry 4 unlocked. 87:60. Carpentry 5 unlocked.
96:80. Cold Resistance 6 unlocked. (These five skills refer to general bosun-ing on the First Stretch)
07:80. Combat Instinct 10 not unlocked.
24:70. Reflexes 9 not unlocked. (This refers to Sea King near-encounter.)
53:00. Driving 0 unlocked. 95:70. Driving 1 unlocked. 36:100. Driving 2 not unlocked. Started online driving school. 1/3. Easy enough to ram through, a lot of busywork.
10:80. Engineering 3 (category skill) not unlocked.
26:80. What's left of the Crook Club was run out of town. As far as Lady Photon and Brandish are aware, the Club accidentally helped rob an E88 front - Kaiser took umbrage. Bezzy tried to organize a repayment plan to make amends, Kaiser took that as an offense, likely viewing it as a thinker trying to take advantage of him. Bezzy dead, Tommy Gun maimed, rest left town. New Wave offers you some pointers on potential Merchant hideouts, but warns they normally tend to focus on patrols against E88 and to a lesser extent, ABB, so their information may be out of date or hearsay.
24:??. Not that catastrophic a result - New Wave shares information on your target capes, but the first impression is a bit rough.
Loot/Resource Changes
Day 1: Redmove coral calcium sample. Scrap wood and basic tools from Earth Mahon.
-$428.94 in Earth-Mahon dollars.
Day 2: N/A
73:75. Seaman (AoS) 8 not unlocked.
68:90. Boatswain 9 not unlocked.
44:60. Teaching 4 not unlocked.
13:70. Carpentry 4 not unlocked. (These four refers to general bosun-ing/hanging out with Usopp, doing carpentry)
36:50. No extra loot from Tommy's Hardware visit. The 'loot' would have just been some broken tools for you to repair at a later date, maybe give to Usopp.
16:100. Ninjutsu 0 (category skill) not unlocked.
92:??. Very successful result re: Vivi conversation. Before I give any concrete information on what this result entails, I want to double-check some things in the manga. This is a good result, I just don't want to commit to anything without double-checking Whiskey Peak to get a good read on Vivi's personality and so on. You should consider this a success.
Day 2
51:60. Seaman (AoS) 8 not unlocked.
06:80. Boatswain 9 not unlocked.
53:40. Teaching 4 unlocked. Usopp - very slight increase in some Carpentry skills
51:30. Carpentry 4 unlocked. 87:60. Carpentry 5 unlocked.
96:80. Cold Resistance 6 unlocked. (These five skills refer to general bosun-ing on the First Stretch)
07:80. Combat Instinct 10 not unlocked.
24:70. Reflexes 9 not unlocked. (This refers to Sea King near-encounter.)
53:00. Driving 0 unlocked. 95:70. Driving 1 unlocked. 36:100. Driving 2 not unlocked. Started online driving school. 1/3. Easy enough to ram through, a lot of busywork.
10:80. Engineering 3 (category skill) not unlocked.
26:80. What's left of the Crook Club was run out of town. As far as Lady Photon and Brandish are aware, the Club accidentally helped rob an E88 front - Kaiser took umbrage. Bezzy tried to organize a repayment plan to make amends, Kaiser took that as an offense, likely viewing it as a thinker trying to take advantage of him. Bezzy dead, Tommy Gun maimed, rest left town. New Wave offers you some pointers on potential Merchant hideouts, but warns they normally tend to focus on patrols against E88 and to a lesser extent, ABB, so their information may be out of date or hearsay.
24:??. Not that catastrophic a result - New Wave shares information on your target capes, but the first impression is a bit rough.
Loot/Resource Changes
Day 1: Redmove coral calcium sample. Scrap wood and basic tools from Earth Mahon.
-$428.94 in Earth-Mahon dollars.
Day 2: N/A
Rolls in spoilers.
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mojtaba
nothing new going on here.
Reply to spoiler box
Looks like we only passed 8 out of 21 rolls. That feels kinda bad. So I know this is gamer simplified with no percentages but does this mean that for the rolls you don't pass there's no progress at all. Like will the next roll for something be easier?
Yes, future rolls for those categories will be easier. More complicated skills will see less progress - going from requiring a 90 to an 80, like Boatswain in those rolls, for instance.
If you train something and fail the roll, in 95%+ of circumstances, future rolls will be easier. The exceptions are skills that are super, super complicated, like if you're training a power you barely understand that you have no basis in, and that'll be fairly few and far between. Like, at worst, you might see something only go down 5 points if it's a really tough skill to learn, but normally, it'll be a fair bit higher.
Every failed skill roll should be treated as nothing more than a delay.
- Location
- Koszalin, Poland
The funny way to do it would be to make it so that Taylor gains a special skill in 'flipping coins'. As Coil used this as a stupid gimmick to show how he 'controls fate', so it may count as a special skill, lol.
If she would start using it as a way to win some things, she may even start gambling or something as a skill.
Also, the potential reaction of Taylor that she believes (at first) that Coil managed to survive being a villain by being too good at coin tossing would be hilarious
. Although it would also amuse me if she at first believes that rumours of Coil doing it without powers may turn out to be true.
Anyway, I agree with your decision here. Coil's power is... a pain in the ass to deal with. Also it would make too many things too easy to deal with. As a potential QM, I would insta ban it myself.
Honestly, I'm on the 'flat no' side. Tinkertech means time spent on fixing it, and making Taylor a single point of potential failure, especially when she is 'part-time' with Straw Hats is a serious problem, when something breaks without her around, and no one else can even do anything about it. Not worth it.
I would only use mundane methods. Something that One Piece world can fix if it becomes necessary. The problem is that at one point it will be too late for Merry, as we know it in canon, so we may start thinking about this.
The only way I can see something happen earlier is if we meet someone like Reed Richards, we gain access to dimensional tech and get some short dimensional jump trips via this tech. But this would still count as Mahon's reality anyway. Although not gonna lie, if we stumble into one of those bad multiversal situations (like Spider-Verse, where all Spider-Men meet up) I would be both entertained and would curse our bad luck.
Part of me hopes this would end up with 'alternate Taylor's meet each other up', but I doubt it, with the early chapter mentioning that 'Worm reality is closed'. Although meeting let's say Warlord Skitter could be an interesting encounter, especially the incoming morality arguing.
On the topic of PRT armor improvements, with how absurd our sewing is, and potential access to materials Earth-Bet doesn't have (from One Piece), we may in fact create something that we could easily sell to them as more efficient.
Now when you talk about this, and me reminding myself of One Piece, picking up some armored (like their giant crocodiles) absurd fauna of One Piece, and creating armored clothes out of those sounds like an interesting project.
With more creative Usopp projects, and how big they are, shooting let's say a pepper bullet in their mouths would SERIOUSLY hamper them. In this specific fight, with a creative approach, I give Taylor a solid chance.
I think we should also think about getting 'trap-making' skill.
Instead of directly fighting some opponents, we could simply lure them into prepared traps. I suspect NinJutsu once we properly level up, will give us some good pointers here.
Imagine Hookwolf chases us. Instead of trying to go for a risky direct fight, we make him chase us. We prepare a trap with a scrapyard magnet that will pull him up to be prepared for a capture. Or a hidden hole with lots of thermite, although this one would be... a drastic way to do it. Yeah, I've seen both of those in Worm fanfiction being used.
Fight smarter, not harder.
On the topic of languages, I wonder if learning Esperanto would speed up learning other languages, with how it's a language designed to be as easily learned for all groups of people, from even completely different language backgrounds.
The problem in this specific case is that if they even manage to do it, Taylor has the ability to move somewhere else, so it wouldn't be a very efficient way to keep her 'in check'. And if PRT does something stupid, we would simply most likely go full 'specs ops' mode, and doing things 'behind the scenes' instead of directly.
Yeah, this sounds like the best way to get in touch with Tony. Official channels will IMO take too much time.
While I remember someone saying that we are better than Batman and Captain America (VERY arguable, depending on which versions we deal with, both can be pretty absurd in some circumstances and certainly not 'human peak' like they are described as), I agree that our combination of very good martial arts AND superhuman level of skill should let us win against them. Especially the superhuman part, there is only so much bog standard humans can do.
In the case of Victor, even if he gets invulnerability, in this case, Taylor needs to knock out Othala, and simply buy out time with Aikido (which in her case is beyond normal humans at this point) and simply buy time, or incapacitate him not by directly hurting him, but simply throwing him on the ground, and locking his arms via some item. Or she may keep throwing him around, which would be as amusing, as with what she has, she should be superior in both martial art and mostly superhuman strength.
I would personally count Blind Fighting as a separate skill. So it's a good idea to train at one point anyway.
Getting access to echolocation would be another fun way to do it, but I have no idea where we could get it. If we had access to DC, maybe someone like Man-Bat would give it to us. Or Dolphins.
But again, in One Piece most likely somewhere there are some massive bats to defeat. Ok, when I think about it, Giant Dolphin is a pretty likely encounter in One Piece. Worth to think about?
We could do something similar with Engineering to give them the ability to build some basic power armor. But at this point, we aren't trained enough in what we have ourselves to go for it.
Although again, with how good our Aikido, Boxing, etc. is, we could organize some meetings to teach people those. Add to this well-designed (by Taylor) bulletproof costumes with proper kevlar parts, won't be perfect, but as a start, it may work for now.
Once we get access to Tony, start making enough money, and gain his trust, maybe we could ask for permission for some of his projects to end up on Bet for personal use. Like for Danny and some Dockworkers.
Pretty much make some Bet citizens our own 'War Machines'.
I would register with PRT, for our main cape persona (unless we decide to not create another one).
We could do it with the second cape persona, while the other one 'keeps distance'.
My opinion on Earth-Bet patrolling would be focused on people that need our help the most, possibly with that second 'sneak cape persona'. Like helping forced prostitution victims, but I think in this case doing it sneakily would be preferred IMO for now. Pretty much for any job that requires subtle touch, go with a 'kunoichi' persona or something similar. For silent, subtle jobs. A sneaky second cape identity is still my preference.
And our main one, for any official 'flashy' cape fights and standard patrols.
Thinking on this - I'm thinking that if you just beat Squealer and train her power up, then no. Her tech in your hands would still require that maintenance, it would still require the shard-added fuckery (replicated by Headway) that makes it work in the first place. A microapplication of telekinesis so the screw fits in just the right way, etc., etc. Taylor's Teaching skill might make maintenance easier in the long run for nontinkers (see the Gearboy problem, Taylor would be better at explaining stuff than he was), but the fundamental problem is still there.
But let's say you beat, I dunno, 10 tinkers, and max out their abillities. Then Headway would reward you, and you'd look more like the Tinkers in Eden's world, where they were better able to spread their tech, where mass production was an option.
(This quote will be added to the Powers post when I eventually make it. I need to figure out how to organize informational posts - that'll have to wait until 2.20 is finished. It's looking to be a pretty hefty update, and I have daily studying stuff that I'll be finishing before I do more substantial work today and tomorrow.)
- Location
- Earth
Perhaps make a subskill for parahuman studies?
Reverse engineer tinkertech.
It is supposed to be the tech of past civilizations after all. So it should be possible in theory.
In practice, I expect it to be a lot of work.
IMO, superpowered tinkertech skill levels should instead contribute to 'base' 'super' science skills rather than make it 'actual technology'.
Then it's like 'i do realize, i need such and such exotic material in such and such configuration to replicate the effect holding this tinkertech together, but i still need this kind of particle accelerator and this kind of nanotech to make the tools to make the tools'.
Ie: they'd open up 'high sci-fi' science and engineering skills, but but not allow 'humans' to replicate the thing without building the tools themselves.
Good for getting a nobel prize or two, but not for teaching how to do science gizmos in 10 or less years, unless you're in a setting like Star Trek, where it's pretty trivial. This keeps settings grounded on their era, grounded there, unless part of the point is the uplift, except for the personal gizmos Taylor builds for herself, while still allowing the skills to be impactful for wider society in settings where Taylor might influence the industrial-military complex because it actually exists.
In short, in Earth Bet you need to partner with Dragon to actually democratize 'tinkertech derived' science, although you might publish anyway and get something out of it (fame). Other settings ymmv.
Then it's like 'i do realize, i need such and such exotic material in such and such configuration to replicate the effect holding this tinkertech together, but i still need this kind of particle accelerator and this kind of nanotech to make the tools to make the tools'.
Ie: they'd open up 'high sci-fi' science and engineering skills, but but not allow 'humans' to replicate the thing without building the tools themselves.
Good for getting a nobel prize or two, but not for teaching how to do science gizmos in 10 or less years, unless you're in a setting like Star Trek, where it's pretty trivial. This keeps settings grounded on their era, grounded there, unless part of the point is the uplift, except for the personal gizmos Taylor builds for herself, while still allowing the skills to be impactful for wider society in settings where Taylor might influence the industrial-military complex because it actually exists.
In short, in Earth Bet you need to partner with Dragon to actually democratize 'tinkertech derived' science, although you might publish anyway and get something out of it (fame). Other settings ymmv.
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fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
The weird thing is that we have access to X-Men and One Piece which also have super tech it just isn't well defined in either series why it doesn't spread*. Like Richard supposedly makes all sorts of super tech which is how he funds the fantastic 4, but you never actually see any of it in common use.
*Well in one piece it's easy. Travel is hard.
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The same idea can apply. They're using shortcuts because (most of them) are special snowflakes using cosmic juice that is unrepeatable and if they actually understand their technology (hello Reed, Doom), they have the problem that either it requires skills that aren't mechanically replicable (sorcery) or requires a industrial complex which is unfeasible, ie: 'this gizmo requires the energy of a sun' or 'i built this when i had access to the forge world of Salusa II and i don't trust earth with that kind of might', etc.
People complain about the trope (Reed Richards is useless) but it exists for a reason, namely not reducing every conflict in the setting into 'and then i drowned them in a army of perfect, glistening thicc steel'.
The other reason is of course, status quo is god. Most people didn't buy a near future heroic comic book to see it change into kill 6 billion demons from under them. Most people are boring.
People complain about the trope (Reed Richards is useless) but it exists for a reason, namely not reducing every conflict in the setting into 'and then i drowned them in a army of perfect, glistening thicc steel'.
The other reason is of course, status quo is god. Most people didn't buy a near future heroic comic book to see it change into kill 6 billion demons from under them. Most people are boring.
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Also i forgot, but the scale of the shards also gives another out. Even a perfectly understood application of a shard tinkertech power, when translated to a human industrial complex, might be 'unfeasable' simply because you don't have a entire free continent to seed with a hyper efficient crystal computer/battery and if you did, you'd power at most another 600 hundred 'disintegration guns' after opening the 600 dimensional shunts require the transmit the effect (yay).
The shards are not designing for a sustainable technological society, but for a single parahuman (as a proxy for how the entity would use the thing), so the ratio of effort required for the effect can explain some 'op' things as essentially useless for a society.
The shards are not designing for a sustainable technological society, but for a single parahuman (as a proxy for how the entity would use the thing), so the ratio of effort required for the effect can explain some 'op' things as essentially useless for a society.
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fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
Which does indicate that many tinkers might be very hamstrung by their ideas of what is possible. Like Squealer might be able to make nuker tanks where the nuclear power comes from KitKat bars, but she is stuck on the idea that she needs Uranium.
Shards are 'special'. I have the idea that Wildbow kind of hated the idea of 'science hero' stories, or at least couldn't allow them on his grimdark world... and i understand the impulse, because i'm often annoyed by the science hero tropes.
It's actually pretty strange, the more potential a powerset has for 'changing the world', the more i get annoyed when it doesn't or it does and it's a douche without humility doing it (hello Tony Stark), often for the money or ego/power. And when there is pushback it's often strawmanned into luddites or bigots. It's contradictory, i don't like the tropes when it's taken to its conclusion or the tropes when it's avoided.
It's actually pretty strange, the more potential a powerset has for 'changing the world', the more i get annoyed when it doesn't or it does and it's a douche without humility doing it (hello Tony Stark), often for the money or ego/power. And when there is pushback it's often strawmanned into luddites or bigots. It's contradictory, i don't like the tropes when it's taken to its conclusion or the tropes when it's avoided.
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What all does registration entail? Show up, powers testing and pinkie promise not to go on a rampage? If that was the case I think we may want to consider it once we've established ourselves in Brockton Bay a bit more, but leave it on the table for the time being. Not visibly having an income is more mystery for the Protectorate to grapple with, and the more questions they have the slower they're likely to be to trust us but it's also fewer ways for them to come at us (and Coil has fewer data points on us).
Heck, just making it so they have to ask us to register gives us a ball in our court.
Also interesting. It might be worth setting aside time to review some of the petitions involved anyway just to get a feel for how things are on the ground, perhaps be a way to train Current Events to a higher level so we know ahead of time things like 'the CC are at half strength and retiring from the city' instead of getting it secondhand from New Wave. Getting involved in trouble spots unasked in exchange for a positive referral going forward from mercs or petitioners could be helpful too, once our secret's out.
About as expected. I appreciate the heads up. Great to hear about that one thing, shame about the other. Most of the training rolls were low-chance of advancing but I figure so long as we're making progress, we're doing something right.
Are you thinking of this as one-off suits? I was thinking we'd make a process that could be patented and shared as necessary. If we tie the creation of such things to our direct time commitment we're limiting the effect such an advancement could have by limiting rollout while also tying up our schedule. As neat as our sewing ability is I don't want to get stuck doing just that all day so 'more deserving' heroes can go do what we should be doing.
As I see it our benefits would be in developing the technology and teaching people enough to carry on tasks while going off to go be amazing in other areas. Very few organizations will want to depend on load-bearing capes if they don't have to; I'm sure the only reason Dragon's de facto monopoly on containment foam is as tolerated as it is is because maintaining that monopoly simplifies some power dynamics the PRT faces against large, more established gangs. (Also the difficulties in sharing Tinker tech)
Agreed. Being able to lay down Acme style traps on prepared ground synergizes with Ambush Mistress and Tactician, and I'm all for picking up Trapper...once we have a place we can reasonably train it. I wonder if we can find someone willing to train us in it rather than figuring it out ourselves? There seems to be a noticeable difference in that (learning Lockpicking from Nami is +20% better than working on it at home, for instance) and I imagine Professor Logan at Xavier's could show us a thing or two if we asked nicely.
I wonder how difficult it would be to make communications jammers that Factota could wear as part of her costume and turn on and off to help put her forward as an ambush predator; good luck calling for help from Kaiser when Factota starts trashing your drug house. Also, do we have a body cam for ourselves? That seems like it'd help in the long run, provided we can keep the footage from going place we don't want.
If so I'd imagine it'd just be a bit easier than normal; we're looking at picking up 'enough Korean to awkwardly order a meal and get to the train station' in a single afternoon and be fluently professional with both idioms and technical language within a week. I doubt 'ease of learning' is really the main focus here, and I'd rather spend that time working on expanding the number of people we could be speaking to in that time I'd say we're better off learning some other language in that time. Maybe some sign languages? That'd be a bit different from the norm.
...it occurs to me that another way to do it would be to show up uninvited at one of the weapon conventions Stark attends with something like a Tinker pistol that can punch through a foot of solid steel or have a Squealer super-tank decloak, style on everyone else's toys and shoot a business card at Stark before disappearing into the mist like a cryptid. That has the obvious side-effect of being, uh, somewhat noticeable so we probably want to keep that as a 'plan B' option, but it is an option (once we get Tinker toys).
If we had to fight Grue as we are now, I'd say if he tries to engage us in his darkness we drop a smoke bomb so we're both blind and rely on our innate advantages in reflexes, skill and perception. I don't know how effective echolocation would be but IIRC Cricket was able to fight him in his darkness better than most so you're probably onto something.
I'm a lot more willing to tap Stark for industrial or commercial ends than military equipment before he has his change of heart. Something that, I might add, we're not guaranteed to see any time soon. Still, assuming we could even approach making a Mk 1 suit producible by regular folks would be...an interesting power dynamic shift.
Could you explain what you mean by having a second cape persona do 'sneaky' jobs? I was working under the assumption that we'd be operating more or less like Batman; occasionally seen during a big punch-up but mostly felt as low-level gang members get trussed up and operations become risky endeavors if powered gang members aren't there ensuring that safehouses full of guns or drugs are guarded, hurting the bottom line of the gangs-as-business. (Also like Batman her superpowers are "I'm really good at X skill" and "I have gadgets")
My intent to keep a second persona as a viable option is in case we need to either do a job against a target Factota can't be seen working against (like breaking Tattletale out of prison before she 'dies resisting arrest' if Taylor has strong circumstantial evidence but not proof that something is fishy) or we don't want people asking how Factota was able to do a job in Denver at noon when she was doing a PR event in Brockton Bay first thing in the morning. It isn't suspicious at all that Factota (the Skills cape) and Protean (animal-themed shapeshifter) were in different places at once; it's not like they're the same person after all!
The way I imagine it is 'what if you gave Archimedes a jeep'. He can imagine what it does - it is a cart that requires no beast to pull it, and can maneuver at unthinkable speed - but the maintenance is strictly prohibitive because what we would consider basic maintenance like 'change the oil', 'add more gas' and 'rotate the tires' were fragments of the tech database that he isn't graced with, as he was given the means to 'make jeep' in the sense of shaping materials into the forms needed and a bit of a skill implant where he knows how to drive this thing he just made. If he joined forces with Plato who was given sublime knowlege about the creation of metamaterials (and thus can create 'motor oil' and 'gasoline' from naptha), Pythagoreas who can develop thinking machines called 'computer chips' to install into the engine to keep things running smoother and safer (but who struggles to use them properly because Pythagoreas' shard doesn't give him the ability to generate electricity, so is limited to 'shuffling around on rugs wearing socks' to get brief bursts of functionality out of his computer chips)...this gathering of eggheads are still stymied by the fact they need rubber and have no clue how or where to get it without some other cape entirely able to transport them across the ocean.
...I'm not sure this example comes across clearly. Still, it sounds like the answer to 'but what about Tinker Tech?' is 'bully more Tinkers', which I am willing to do.
Yep, that's basically it. If you volunteer your services more to the Protectorate, they'll likely give you more of a stipend and more attention, but that comes with obvious problems, too.
This example, to me, leaves out the fact that by design, the shards designed tinkertech so that it can't be replicated, even if you have everything going perfectly in studying it, because there are ways on the microlevel that physics is being violated, that the tinker often isn't even aware of. I'm just gonna quote Wildbow himself on this one. Any discussion about tinkertech is incomplete if you don't internalize what Wildbow is saying below.
2.20 is finished in the sense of being written. I still want to edit it, make sure everything's coherent. I swapped around the order of the Vivi and New Wave chat for spoiler-y reasons that will make sense once you read the update. So now the New Wave chat takes place on Day 1, the Vivi chat on Day 2.
It's a mammoth of an update. 12,000 words, 28 pages on G-Docs. That's without training options - I'm glad previous GMs innovated by putting those in spoiler tags, this thread already tries to break your scroll wheel. Should post tomorrow afternoon/early evening EST.
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- Location
- Koszalin, Poland
Using this specific example of yours with telekinesis, I wonder if it would be possible to teach someone create tinkertech as well (if we leveled up sufficiently enough), as long as they have that telekinesis to use, or technology that mimics it. I mostly mean Mahon here as a potential option with all their superpowers.
Seeing Jean Grey suddenly tinkering would be an interesting sight. I have my doubts, to be clear, but the idea is interesting.
I guess finding Masamune would do the trick as well? Although in this case it may be impossible, as he isn't a bad guy.
I think tinkertech may be called as a 'shardtech' for potential mechanics.
I would compare it to MagiTech - to make it work, it requires esoteric energy magic, as otherwise it most likely won't work. So even if you know the inner workings perfectly, without that additional element, it won't simply work.
I would consider idea of costume making mostly if we find a reliable way to mass produce them without taking too much of our time.
If we end up with an access to Naruto, and unlock Shadow Clones, it would fix the issue, but let's be realistic and assume we will never end up there. Dragon Ball also has a limited 'clone technique' if we look at it this way.
Although again, providing a limited service to specific people that are willing to pay well, or work for us as part of our 'join our team package' may be a way to do it. Kind of like 'handmade limited' type of deal, where there is a very limited number of created items. Pretty much provide a very limited expensive service, that no one else can do it.
But yes, at the moment if we would bother with this idea, it would be a very limited type of deal.
Oh, gaining access to Containment Foam would be nice, now that I'm reminded of it. At one point we would be able to replicate it, I suspect.
Usopp would do it I would say, as long as we present it as him for example preparing some traps with his creations, so we can both train, and see how he does it. He isn't a dedicated trap specialist, but guys can be pretty creative, so I think this should be enough for unlocking it at least.
Nami may also know a thing or two from her thief days. Especially for cases when people were chasing her, and she needed to lose their potential chases.
But I think the best way, which is boring one, would be to simply hire a hunter that knows how to make animal traps, and start training this way. Most likely on Mahon or One Piece world, so potential 'skill spikes' won't catch them off-guard. Like Usopp decribed it 'good creepy'. On Earth-Bet it would most likely make us look like a cape, which may bring attention if this hired person isn't subtle or simply blabs.
In Marvel 616 (in X-Men Evolution they may not exist at all, so keep it in mind), there are some people like Trapster a villain who is a pretty talented chemist and another villain Deathtrap who as the name suggests specializes in creating, well, deathtraps. So it's another angle to aim for, but with how obscure they are, Taylor most likely has no idea they even exist.
I wonder how difficult it would be to make communications jammers that Factota could wear as part of her costume and turn on and off to help put her forward as an ambush predator; good luck calling for help from Kaiser when Factota starts trashing your drug house. Also, do we have a body cam for ourselves? That seems like it'd help in the long run, provided we can keep the footage from going place we don't want.
Sign language is an interesting idea to consider. Learning how to read in Braille may also be something to be picked up as a side project.
Not the smartest way to do it, but yes, I think this is something Tony would find amusing, and interesting. Tony loves showmanship.
Although I think we could do with with sufficiently trained clockwork by itself. It's such a unique technology, that would certainly catch his eye.
Yeah, I think this would be the way to do it against Grue.
It would be a very useful skill. I think going to One Piece world and finding an animal known for using echolocation is the way to do it in the end.
Unless you consider looking for let's say a normal Sperm Whale, and fighting it. But for me this sounds like a borderline animal cruelty, when they don't do anything vicious to anyone, unlike some more aggresive One Piece animals. Although being able to transform into a Sperm Whale sounds like a fun gimmick, not gonna lie. And that ability for very deep diving could in fact come in handy. Not strictly neccesary, with our Fishmen already in, but well, it sounds fun.
Another way would be to find either opponents with very good sense of smell or hearing (Sabretooth in Mahon should grant this, easily, for smell) if we don't find someone with echolocation.
Also echolocation is a very good way to find people that are hard to find normal way. I suspect it would also help with some Stranger capes for example.
Good point, but it's something as a potential long term idea.
In some Worm fanfiction I've seen some people offering their 'reproducible technology' to military, to even 'things out' to speak of. Cauldron set up things that most of the funds end up in PRT/Protectorate hands, while other agencies like CIA, FBI, US Military or standard police receive far less money than they do in our world. Shaking up this dynamic is what some people aim for in their stories. Especially if they aim to destroy cape status quo, which is what this would do.
Although again, this may be only possible if you have something to block Contessa at least. Because this will make for example more villains captured/killed, especially in the hands of agencies that are far more willing to go to lethal force if neccesary.
Partially it may be that 'PR walk' chapter that created slightly wrong impression for me, that we would be more open with some actions, but again, we picked out more 'practical costume' so most likely it's on me for looking at this at the wrong angle. Also we have yet to decide what we aim for, so in fact we may create a cape persona that is more 'flashy'. In this case, this would be someone who brings out so much attention, that other one can have much easier time to do their thing. It's not something I would recommend, but it's an option.
Also it may help to have persona for 'sneaky jobs' against some opponents that may be a bit too big profile to provoke directly, for now at least, like Accord.
Anyway Batman style is something that fits Taylor far more than standard caping.
But yes, the main use of it would be pretty much for what you described...
Pretty much this. PRT/Protectorate tend to be kind of too rigid with their rules (or too corrupt), so having deniable cape persona would work just for this.
It would also be fun to get few more animal-themed transformation, but it would mean even more things to train, and I think we have few bigger priorities at the moment.
Also I'm curious how potential mix of tinkertech, special Marvel clarktech, and weird One Piece tech will mix up together.
Or it's such a shame Vegapunk is so far away, because this would be so nice to get access to.
IIRC it's borderline, I think Dragon has to manufacture everything but specialists can do the maintenance? Something like that. As a stopgap I'm thinking about Spider-Man's web fluid and how it's got some of the same base functionalisty ("restrain people") and is presumably cheaper (a broke kid from Queens is making batches of this regularly, presumably from things he found under the sink) but doesn't have stuff like the fire retardant effect or 'you can breathe through it no matter where it lands' stuff.
On the plus side it would enable brachiation through places like Downtown, improving Factota's overt mobility. I doubt we'll be able to out-Spider-Man Spider-Man, but with a little help I imagine we could do a credible imitation. Athletics, maybe a dedicated 'web-slinging' skill, cap out our combat reflexes...we'd just need 'motor-mouth' and 'auto-quip' skills.
Still, even if we did crack containment foam (and I think Dragon deliberately black boxes it so black hat Tinkers can't whip up their own batches?) I imagine we'd run into legal problems using it as I promise you that stuff is surrounded by an army of lawyers. Which would be a fun battle to fight, but I'm less sure about an important one.
There is the possibility of hiring someone in Bet to train Factota with the explicit understanding that she's a skills-learning Thinker so 'outed as a cape' and 'caught off guard by rapidity of advancement in the skill set' should be less of an issue. I don't want to count on non-Mutant enemy capes showing up in X-Men so I'd hold off on planning to run into them. (There is also Accord who is both a good trapmaker and a Thinker power we'll likely want anyway but we're a long way from being able to reasonably challenge him, so I'd count him as 'value-add' more than 'priority target for the purposes of trap making')
As it is, I think we're best off training under Prof. Logan for at least the basics (Traps 2 or 3) and see if there are any trap-based capes willing to take a teaching job on Whitelist (ie, 'roll the dice') after that unless other options open up. If we can get some time to train with Usopp and/or Nami on the matter so much the better but I imagine it's hard to train that sort of skill on the Merry.
I think maybe you dropped the quotes around this?
It looks like Combat Reflexes does at least partial duty with Blind Fighting, this problem may be partially solved?
Also, we know Cricket's power works with sound and she's able to do stuff to see through Grue's darkness. Likewise Storm Tiger has some sort of scent and/or hearing enhancements as part of his package.
I want a giant snake transformation. Officially it's so we can do things like turn into a small snake and slither through air vents and stuff but "also I can turn into a giant snake" seems like something Taylor'd be able to drop into casual conversation and not have other people able to respond, which amuses me.
"Why would you turn into a giant snake?"
"The benefits are too numerous to count."
"Name one."
"Too numerous to count." /smug
If we can just replicate 'soda-powered cyborgs' I think we'd have a big advantage. It's just too weird for people to ignore.
- Location
- Koszalin, Poland
I don't remember canon or any WoG going into detail about this, but I suspect it may be that she provides mostly the recipe, and other people at least help out with creating it.
Also good point on Spider-Man's web fluid, which should work in a very similar way. If we get in contact with Peter, and offer him an honest, and fair deal about his incredible formula, I'm all for it.
As we all know Peter is a genuinely nice guy, with a sentiment very similar to this version of Taylor and his desire to be a true hero. Marvel writers love to kick him in the metaphorical nuts all the time, so helping him out is something I'm all for it. If they become friends - all the better.
Also, I mention buying out his formula because we have the perfect example of what happens when his own trademark isn't secured in the Ultimate Spider-Man comics series. Pretty much what happens there is Kingping gloating to Peter about owning his own image and selling Spider-Man items like toys. It's such a well-executed scene in that comic series, and this version of Kingpin is one of the best versions of him around. Because in the end, in this specific scene, Kingpin did nothing illegal really - Spider-Man never secured his trademark, so someone simply took advantage of it to make money.
Pretty much it helps Peter. If it wouldn't be us, it may be someone like Tony, as long as it's an honest business deal.
I guess we could pull off an inferior version of him if we feel like it. I wonder if Taylor choosing a Spider-Girl persona here would make her become a part of the 'spider family'. Yes, it would have implications with the whole multiversal mess of Spider-Totems/The Web/Spider-Verse multiversal shenanigans. There is no reason to do it really (unless we really want a spider-themed hero team on Mahon for some reason?), it's simply me speculating about this.
Ah, patent laws. I guess maybe we could get away with it if we made it just different enough, but again, we have no idea how Earth-Bet patent laws exactly look like, so it may be simply risky to approach. Unless we get Dragon's blessing.
Your idea with Peter's formula sounds good, although I have no idea if this is how it is in this specific universe. I mention this as in some universes Peter could naturally produce the web, instead of it being a formula he invented, so if we deal with one of those cases... this whole idea goes down the drain.
Yeah, it's mostly me mentioning some obscure examples, which may not show up at all. Sometimes I write those kinds of ideas, as who knows, maybe it will inspire QM?
So yeah, on Earth-Bet it would most likely mean checking out potential OC options. As well, there may be in fact 'trap tinker' or something similar out there.
Accord would work, but yes, he is a bit too tough of a target for now.
Yeah, Logan sounds like a good deal here. This version of him is an ex-SHIELD member, so the guy is pretty good at what he does.
Meeting Natasha would be an interesting experience as well for any potential training, as we know Nick Fury in X-Men Evolution does show up. No Natasha though from what I remember.
And with Usopp/Nami it would be most likely only possible on islands.
A mistake on my part.
I wouldn't mind doing something more dedicated to it, but again, it it helps somewhat, it won't be such a high priority anymore.
This is why I talked about going for hearing/smell enchantments instead as alternatives. Sabretooth in Mahon would cover the smell part at least.
Snake is a good call, props for this idea, mostly for the ease of getting into even the tight spots.
An octopus is yet another pick that can fit through any hole or crevice that is slightly larger than its beak, but we don't need yet another aquatic pick.
Rat changer form would do it as well, with how talented those animals are for their ability to also get pretty much anywhere.
I guess looking for a snake of some type wouldn't hurt.
Defeating Franky at first, and befriending him, later on, would be such a Straw Hat move (which happened in canon). It would be exactly what we would need.
Also on the One Piece topic - in One Piece there is one VERY obscure character that knows magic. Yes, it's a thing. He is called Spiel The Hexagon. And yes, he is canon, as the 'Romance Dawn' series was created by Oda himself. Although I think he also showed up in manga in one of those one-page side stories that show up in One Piece chapters?
Although he is so obscure, Taylor most likely doesn't even know he exists.
tarrangar
Fat arctic chicken
The Romance Dawn series is a separate continuity though, we can see that by such differences, as the fact that Romance Dawn version 2 Luffy got his strawhat from his Grandfather who's a pirate(at least according to the Wiki) so Spiel is not guaranteed to be canon to One Piece, since he's from a separate continuity, he might be since Wanted posters of him are apparently seen in the anime, but him being in the Romance Dawn series prove nothing, since that series is a separate continuity.
2.20: First Stretch 4
I swapped around the days of the New Wave chat and the Vivi chat below. You'll see why when you read the update.
2.20 The First Stretch 4
Location: First Stretch, Paradise, Grand Line, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Earth-Mayim, One Piece Multiverse, One Piece-jcw3
Date: Thursday, May 26, 1532
"Gomu Gomu no… War Axe!"
Luffy's foot rockets down. The same attack that destroyed Arlong Park and Nelson Royale's flagship lands, to devastating effect on the target as he deliberately drags his foot along the surface of the adversary, taking care to spread out the damage even if it reduces the impact to individual points.
Chunks of calcified shrapnel spray out as a reward for his efforts, and you can't help but wince a little seeing bits of wood burst off of the Merry's bow and hull- that's yet another thing to repair.
What threat demanded this of Luffy? Did the Marines catch up with you, was it greedy bounty hunters, rival pirates, a Sea King?
Coral. It was coral. An enormous coral reef 'iceberg', the size of a football field, an upper algae-coated layer on the surface collecting energy from the sun, the nutrients redistributed to the larger mass beneath the waves. Looking at it, your Naturalism skill helps you recognize it as Redmove coral.
It'd be easy for someone to ask why the Merry didn't simply avoid the reef. It should have been simple for a caravel with a skilled crew to avoid once it was noticed. But Redmove coral has that name for a reason. It's red, and it's ambulatory. When the Going Merry started to steer out of the way, the coral followed, likely hoping to use the biomatter of the ship as fuel.
Yes. You're still talking about coral here.
You aren't sure if Headway would recognize it as an enemy. You didn't get a chance to try and fight it, if what you're seeing could even be described as a fight. Awaking to the sound of crushing, you practically fell out of your hammock in your haste - to find Luffy and Sanji were already dealing with the problem, and from the sound of your captain's whoops, having a bit of fun at that.
You snap a picture of the impossible, incomprehensible horror. It'll be a neat thing to show Dad when you go back to Bet. Usopp rubs the sleep out of his eyes, yawning out a barely-comprehensible 'good morning', before staring flatly at the increasingly fragmented Redmove. "I hate that stuff like this is becoming something close to normal for me. I'm not even surprised by what I'm seeing anymore"
"I'm sure if you were fully awake, it would terrify you," you offer, your best effort at being comforting. He makes a face at you.
"It's terrifying enough that this nonsense didn't wake me all the way up," he gripes, scratching his hair. "I'm going insane. Only explanation."
In the distance, the two of you can hear a 'Gomu Gomu no.. Stamp!'
You give Usopp a look of mock confusion. "Luffy lets sane people on his crew?"
"Oh, you're a riot."
Morning routine, adjusted for the First Stretch, follows from there. Fishman form, check beneath the keel for any unwanted guests. Your changed shape scares off a school of fish that lived in a symbiotic relationship with the unlamented Redmove - well. Unlamented, besides by the fish who'll have to find a new patron.
Nothing beneath the Merry. After grabbing a piece of Redmove calcium as a souvenir, you surface, and besides a light morning drizzle, there's thankfully nothing exciting from the Grand Line's weather.
You and Usopp spend a while hammering away (the pun stopped being funny to you ages ago) at various points in the ship. A 'minor' hailstorm during the night damaged a decent chunk of the deck, and there are a few spots where substantial repair is needed.
You split your attention between that and various chores around the Merry, your focus not particularly helped by freak twenty-foot waves rocking the Merry unpredictably and disappearing as quickly as they appear. Perhaps why Headway doesn't reward you with any progression in Carpentry.
There's enough wood left for another day's work, but the supply of oakum is functionally empty, and that might be needed for other uses beyond just sealing gaps. You add wood filler to your mental shopping list of items to purchase at a hardware store on Mahon.
–
When you find Sanji, he's lugging a bag of rice from the storeroom, followed by a grumpy looking Mr. 9 with what looks to be a heavier one. By this point, he's stopped bothering to apply the makeup on his face for his '9', and he's left his crown and fancier clothes somewhere else.
If it weren't for the old-timey Mayim clothes he was wearing, he almost looks mundane, like a guy you'd pass on the street in Manhattan or Brockton Bay. The bright red hair stands out, but you've seen people on your homeworld with that color. Miss Wednesday's, not so much.
You wordlessly take the bag from Mr. 9, and, in one hand, you toss it over your shoulder, finding a certain level of satisfaction in the bounty hunter's frustrated gagging sounds as he storms off. "Got a moment, Sanji?"
The cook grins goofily. "'Course. Nami mentioned you'd be heading out, Taylor-chan. Wanted to say goodbye?"
You nod, looking around only a bit nervously, to make sure Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday aren't within hearing distance. "We're keeping my 'trips' secret around our 'guests', right?" you say, voice low.
The grin fades and is replaced by something more serious. "Even Luffy knows to keep quiet. You don't have to worry on that front."
That takes a bit of the concern away. "You have somewhere private for me to transition back and forth, right? I normally would just find a spot in the womens' room and warn Nami beforehand, but you never know when Miss Wednesday might be there, and she's… with Baroque Works. "
Sanji scowls a bit at the name, almost imperceptibly. You guess any pirate worth their pegleg would be annoyed by the existence of bounty hunters.
"Tough to believe such a beautiful lady is with scoundrels like that." You're tempted to tell him about Ingenue as a sort of retort, but it would be like telling a child that their puppy is actually dead, not on a farm upstate. He gestures towards the door. "I'll lock the door. Say it's a cook wanting his privacy."
"Thank you, Sanji."
He actually curtsies. "Anytime, Taylor-swaa-"
"No."
"-san."
Location: Brockton Bay, New Hampshire, United States of America, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Earth-Bet, Parahumans Multiverse, Parahumans-jcw3
Date: Friday, January 24, 2011
Whoa. Your land legs aren't quite back yet. You've grown accustomed to the constant sway of the Merry, noticeable even on calm seas. You'll be walking wobbly for at least a few minutes, and the nausea from the transition, which you haven't experienced in days, doesn't help.
Rising shakily, you head to the kitchen fridge to leave another note for Dad, pausing when you see one from him. I love you. Please come home safe. Wednesday, 8:47 am.
You scrawl out an I will. I love you too. Friday, 11:38 am on that post-it, before taking a longer scratch of paper, letting him know you'll be back this evening.
Before you prepare to head out to Mahon, you get started on something you'd been meaning to do for a while, but just hadn't had the time for. You've already spoken briefly with Miss Militia, and although you haven't registered officially with the PRT - not wanting to give them more information than they needed on you, leverage that they could use against you if they were feeling unethical, you feel like you have a working relationship with her that you could build on.
But there's another major hero team in Brockton Bay, besides the PRT's Protectorate and the Wards. Well-trained, competent, known regionally and a fixture of the city as a bulwark against the gangs. New Wave.
The short version of the story regarding New Wave: Two families of capes around a decade ago get together, and decide to make a statement on the subject of capes wearing masks, revealing their identities to the public in the hopes of inspiring more trust in superheroes. As you understand it, New Wave (or as they were known then, the Brockton Bay Brigade) was trying to start a movement, one of unmasked capes, accountable to humanity and without the implications of secrecy.
And then one of their own was brutally murdered in their own home by a pathetic skinhead thug looking to score some street cred. The movement strangled in its crib, New Wave settled for being known as a local team of family heroes. Despite the initial stumbling of their intended movement, they're effective as hell. Even a superficial reading of their exploits in recent years will show a hypercompetent, coordinated team, who've single-handedly driven off half the Empire and Lung in fights in the past.
They're accomplished, they have information on the local gangs, which could help you as you begin to close in on the Merchants, and if you're lucky, you could begin exchanging services like superhuman clothing repair or even teaching them some mundane skills. You… aren't sure how you feel about revealing your full power set to people on Bet just yet, but for now, you're going to play it safe by only telling New Wave about the learn-mundane-skills-fast-and-make-them-ridiculous component of your power.
Taking a moment to make sure your VPNs are all set up as they should be - thank you, Computers skill - you then change into your Factota costume, snapping a quick picture against an undecorated wall, giving a wave at the camera next to a copy of the day's newspaper. Hopefully the picture will convince whoever on New Wave's team scans the messages that you're legitimate, and not just a con artist or an ingenious groupie.
You load the picture as an attachment on a disposable Prima account, and use the social media platform to reach out to New Wave's verified profile. Good afternoon. My cape name is Factota. I had my public introduction not too long ago, and I was hoping to reach out and meet New Wave, to exchange information and establish a cordial relationship. Please reach out whenever is most convenient for you!
You stare at the message for a frankly embarrassing amount of time, before clicking send. After that, and trying your best to convince yourself you didn't humiliate yourself with that communication, you grab your Mahon spending money from your bedroom dresser, get changed into a more appropriate outfit for walking Manhattan, and transition over.
Location: Manhattan Island, New York City, New York, United States of America, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Earth-Mahon, X-Men: Evolution Multiverse, X-Men: Evolution-jcw3
Date: Friday, November 10, 2000
This alley is as disgusting and stinky as it was when you first found it. You give a hard stare towards a territorial rat, idly wondering if that could be a way to train Killing Intent, before deciding against it. At least the alley being as revolting as it is prevents people from traveling down it, even the desperate.
You take the form of a storm petrel, hoping you'll be able to avoid confusing any observant birdwatching groups while you find your way to an information kiosk. It takes you some time, but eventually you find a place to stealthily land and transform.
The help desk assistant takes your question about 'places to buy bulk lumber' in stride, and after double-checking through the phone book, points you to Tommy's Hardware and Lumberwares a few blocks down. Finding a flat, blue-grey warehouse with massive garage doors to enable through traffic, you stride forth.
You're presenting the look of an older woman, maybe mid-twenties. More of a tomboyish vibe, hair deliberately tied into a function-over-form bob, plaid shirt, cargo khakis. The sort of woman who wouldn't be too out of place shopping in a hardware store for bulk lumber for a do-it-yourself project. Headway seems to appreciate the Disguise, and you spot a few easy ways you could have improved the look if you took the time. Stains here, wrinkled in such a way as to suggest extensive use… something to consider for the future.
"Lookin' to buy some bulk lumber. Scrap wood if you've got it, ideally oak." You try to affect a certain persona, get into character. A clerk guides you to the relevant section, and you get a few hundred Mahon dollars worth of scrap oak, more than enough to see the Merry to Foolshout Island with clever rationing. When you ask, you even get some cull lumber they'd been meaning to toss, added on for free.
Another hundred or so goes to buying some basic tools and supplies - tape measurers, a good stock of wood filler, putty knives, squares, dust masks, things of that nature, and there's a deal on a rechargeable saw that seems like a bargain. Usopp can use it to save some muscle power on the harder jobs, and if it runs out of power, he has the regular elbow grease saw. When it runs out, you can just charge it at home on Bet.
It might be useful to buy Usopp some power tools and instruct him in their use. You'd have to focus on rechargeable tools that don't require an outlet, but it's something to consider. He's clever, and you'll be good enough at Teaching soon that he'll probably be able to pick it up quickly enough. Just might be a bit of an expenditure of time and money.
You ask the clerk for a hand truck to take your lumber to 'your pickup', and 'Naw, I'm good' away offers of help. Headway gives you an appreciative tingle as a compliment to your Acting skills.
It takes you a while to find a good spot to hide both yourself and the hand truck full of tied lumber, and a few trips back and forth from the warehouse to an alley, and then from the alley to the Merry. Tedious, but it solves the Merry's lumber shortage for the foreseeable future, and it's possible you'll be able to stock up again on Foolshout when you arrive.
Location: First Stretch, Paradise, Grand Line, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Earth-Mayim, One Piece Multiverse, One Piece-jcw3
Date: Thursday, May 26, 1532
It's mid-afternoon when you finish bringing over the oak and carpentry supplies (and, obviously, returning the hand truck). Sanji agrees to handle the work of getting the stuff into the storeroom without alerting Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday, which takes one stress off of your mind. You get a quick bite to eat - getting all of those supplies in order made you famished.
You arrived back in the middle of a blessedly sunny day - perfect for training. It feels like you have so little time for this nowadays, so many projects, keeping the Merry afloat, taking baby steps towards heroism on Bet, so much to do, so few hours in the day.
Sitting cross-legged near the rear of the ship, you reflect on the Baroque Works ninja that 'tested' you on Warship Island. She never gave you her name, but you'll settle for her power. You still aren't quite sure if 'power' is the right descriptor.
She was… an actual real life ninja. While you're reflecting and all, you may as well reminisce on that ridiculousness. You wonder what her codename would have been. Is there a Ninja Day holiday? It's perhaps a testament to how winded you are because embracing your role as boatswain that a little internal joke like that actually got a tiny chuckle out of you. You aren't even sure if the gendered codenames for women have any internal logic. You have no idea what Miss Wednesday's skillset has to do with… Wednesday.
Whoever she was, Unknown Kunoichi had a form of Magic. The shadows shifted with her, she was able to pull objects from spaces where they seemingly shouldn't have fit - there was something supernatural going on there. The question is what, though?
It seemed like UK was using mundane skills and boosting them slightly through supernatural means, almost like you. Was that why Baroque Works chose her to scout you? Did they draw a comparison between two jills-of-all-trades? She had the stereotypical tools of her craft - knives, smoke bombs, so on. How does that compare to what you know of ninja techniques on Mayim?
Ninjutsu is a known phenomena on Mayim. The closed country of Wano in the New World has had ninjas sneak out and travel abroad, making a name for themselves with false or even true duplication abilities, scrolls that can store objects, temperatures or people in pocket dimensions, among other things. What little you know of ninjutsu is filtered through rumor, and myth, and falsehoods, but you can pluck out grains of truth here and there.
UK didn't seem like New World material, but you have a general idea of the upper limit of ninjutsu, and even if her ability 'only' allowed her to augment mundane skills like your guess suggests, it'd still be more than worth learning if it presents a shortcut to learning those. Your suspicion, possibly unfounded, possibly not, is that you learned a framework, a foundation for something greater, when you defeated that lunatic on Warship Island.
It's a moot point. Despite your best efforts and theorizing, you don't come any closer to actually figuring out how Unknown Kunoichi's almost-certainly-supernatural technique worked. There's the usual feeling like you've gotten a bit closer to a breakthrough, but haven't quite reached it yet, and in the case of whatever UK was doing, it's almost certain to be harder than you'd like.
Location: Brockton Bay, New Hampshire, United States of America, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Earth-Bet, Parahumans Multiverse, Parahumans-jcw3
Date: Friday, January 24, 2011
You transition home after letting Luffy know you're leaving, ready to check your Prima inbox for a message from New Wave, and then maybe wait around for Dad to get back. You're pleasantly surprised by a notification from them.
Yes, we saw your debut on the local news not too long ago! We'd love the chance to meet and discuss some plans for the future. Lady Photon and I will be in the downtown area tonight - would you be comfortable meeting at the Richford Tower, eighth floor, around 7:30? The receptionist will be expecting you - no need to worry about that. - Brandish, New Wave
You send a quick message to her letting you know that that would work perfectly for you, before letting out a breath you hadn't realized you'd been holding. Some good news on that front. You try to distract yourself. Is Dad home just yet? You've been assuming not, but - you listen for sounds from downstairs - yes! He is. In the kitchen. It's about dinner time anyway!
You're too naturally stealthy for him to notice you coming down the stairs, and he's distracted anyway, so when you do emerge into the kitchen, he's caught a bit off guard. "Taylor!" he exclaims, leaning back in surprise. "You're- you're really alright!"
Ouch. "Yeah. I'm.. sorry I made you worry."
"It-" he shakes his head. "I don't even know where to begin with how I've been feeling the past few days on that front. But that's besides the point. Are you alright?"
You nod. "It's getting better. The First Stretch was really scary at first, but we're getting used to it. I'm a better bosun than when we started, and only improving"
He gives you a funny look, a goofy, too-wide smile on his face. "You're a bosun?"
You frown. "Yeah. Why?"
He adjusts a dial on the stove. "Just not what I expected since I heard my daughter got superpowers, that she'd wind up a bosun, of all things. But I've been having thoughts along those lines ever since you told me about Headway."
You take that in. "I… I'm sorry that I've been worrying you. I know we've talked about this before, but… I feel the need to say it."
He makes an expression that's somewhere between a grimace and a soft smile. "No helping it. You're growing up. I just wish it wasn't happening so damn fast, or in such a damn weird way." He gives you a belated hug, which you return. "Want some dinner? I'm no super cook, but I can try my best."
"That would be great," you beam at him. "I missed you."
Dad reaches over and ruffles your hair. "Come on. I'll need your help to make dinner. You can catch me up on things while we work."
It's nice. Dad's almost a bit disappointed to hear you asking about mundane things at work, and partway through, you realize why. It's depressing. Sixty jobs available, eighty guys in need of work. Shifting things around, cold calling employers, never getting enough done. You aren't sure what you can do about that as you are now, not without overexposing yourself and probably endangering yourself and Dad, but it's unlikely that you'll ever stop thinking about it.
His mood is both raised and worsened when you start telling him about the First Stretch. There's a certain fantastical whimsy attached to the idea of moving coral, for instance, and he gawks at your sample, but then you can tell he starts to absorb the fact that this creature - more of a collective of alike creatures, really - the size of a football field wanted to eat you, your crew, and your ship.
And that's to say nothing of the 'normal' climatic hazards, whatever role Baroque Works will eventually play, and… well. You'd be worried in his shoes, too. All you can do is give him proof that you're rising to the occasion.
"I told you I'm meeting New Wave this evening, right?"
He practically chokes on his tea. "Are you serious?!"
You smile. "Yeah. I reached out to them on Prima earlier."
He stares at his empty plate. The two of you have been talking for a while. It's only about forty-five minutes until your rendezvous with Brandish and Lady Photon. "Well… good luck, I guess?" Dad chuckles nervously. "There's so much going on in your life that I no longer have a framework for. That meeting's just one of them."
You wish you knew what to say to that. "I love you. And I'm glad I can come home and… just have somewhere to relax."
His expression changes, and he takes a moment to respond. "Yeah. I'm glad about that, too." He purses his lips as he thinks. "I love you, Taylor. Please stay safe."
"I will," you say, in what you hope is a convincing tone of voice.
–
You take a shearwater form and make your way over to the Richford Tower, around ten minutes early for your 7:30 appointment with New Wave. Finding a secluded spot with no cameras or watchful eyes, you instantaneously take human form, having already changed into your Factota outfit.
A few people on the street give you looks, one enterprising woman snaps a picture of you with her phone, and you give a polite wave, before entering the building. Sure enough, the receptionist recognizes you, and walks you to a hidden elevator away from the Richford lobby. Thankfully, since people were staring, and you were starting to feel a bit self-conscious.
The elevator leads you to the eighth floor, and you thank the clerk before you stride forward into a hallway. You find a small conference room overlooking the business district, not at the highest level of the city skyline, but high enough that you feel a bit intimidated. You've been at the top of Brockton Bay's taller buildings before, tourist attractions your parents brought you to when you were very young, or places you went with Emma and her family, but this is an entirely different context.
Your trepidation about the meeting is strong enough that, despite your early arrival, you move slowly enough only make it to the conference room right as Lady Photon and Brandish arrive. They give you a wave and a professional smile respectively.
Brandish stretches out a hand towards you. She's pretty. All of New Wave look almost like TV actors, carefully manicured appearances, skillfully applied makeup whenever they expect to make public appearances - even for the guys in some cases.
Her costume is a white bodysuit with a central orange logo, decorative lines of the same material extending out over the outfit. Her blonde hair is cut short, and split down the middle, a perfect symmetrical functional hardo. You meet her eyes through your own mask, hers an almost bug-like hybrid between a visor and sunglasses.
You return the handshake, trying to maintain a firm enough grip to stay respectable, while also not being rude and crushing her hand. "Brandish. A pleasure to meet you."
Mask hiding your face, you bow your head respectfully, before raising it. "Factota. Likewise."
Lady Photon is next. Like Brandish's, her costume is a white bodysuit with a central logo - a purple starburst - with lines of the same color extending from it. Her hair is parted to the side, and if you were forced to look quickly at the two of their faces and differentiate them, that might be the only way you could have done it. Lipstick a similar shade, hair color the same, costumes are a close fit.
Brandish gestures towards the conference room, and you all take a seat around a table meant for six, the New Wavers sitting next to each other on one side, and you across from them. "Well, I suppose I should start by saying - I love your costume," Lady Photon smiles.
Her sister does the same. "My daughter was gushing about it when she saw the news report," Brandish remarks. Either Panacea or Glory Girl loves your costume? That's… wow. "She has a school project right now, otherwise she might have come to this meeting."
You bow your head again. "Thank you! I made it with my power. I was hoping to go for a look that appeared heroic, but outside of the establishment or any corporate teams." The word you were thinking at the time was 'renegade', but you aren't sure you want to use that specific word when trying to make yourself seem heroic.
Brandish gives a teasing smile. "Yes, you wouldn't want to look like any of those shady corporate teams."
"Who knows what skeletons they have in their closet," Lady Photon adds lightly.
Oh no. Your face burns. "I… that's not-"
"I know, dear. We're just teasing."
"I'll admit I could have phrased that a bit better," you say, raising your hands in submission, cringing inwardly.
Brandish waves it off. "Nothing to apologize for. Now, you said you made that with your power?"
"Yes. I'd like to keep some things close to the vest, if you don't mind, but the simple version of it - I learn skills fast, and I eventually get them 'leveled'-" you do air quotes, "-to superhuman levels. So, I studied sewing and fashion to get to a point where I could casually make a costume like this, even out of substandard materials."
"That's an ability almost tailor-made for being a rogue." You're embarrassed to say - you thought Lady Photon was saying your name for a moment there, and had a brief moment of panic.
"There are a lot of financial possibilities with that power," Brandish agrees. "It's noble that your conclusion when you got your powers was to use that power selflessly."
"Thank you," you say, meaning it. New Wave has been a fixture of Brockton Bay as long as you've been aware of the concept of capes. Receiving compliments like this from New Wave… you feel good. It makes you want to prove yourself worthy of that trust.
"So the question now," Brandish says, "Is where you want to begin with your heroic career. New Wave, of course, isn't recruiting, but we are absolutely open to partnerships, cooperation and collaboration with local heroes. It's part of why we got back to you so quickly. It's critical that we stay on the same page with our allies when it comes to what we do."
You nod wordlessly, trying to take in what she's saying. "Do you have a plan of attack for your hero career? Pardon my saying this, I don't mean to be rude, but as far as I can tell, you've only been preparing for it thus far. How will you get started?"
"I was planning to start small-ish," you reply. "I've got superhuman skill in training my body, and that means I have, essentially, a low-level Brute-Mover rating. Some martial arts mastery, stealth training, that sort of thing. I've made some good progress across the board in that kind of general training. Enough that I'm comfortable going after some of the minor gangs."
The mood in the room becomes a bit more serious. "Who were you thinking?" Brandish asks.
"The Crook Club and the Merchants. I'm unsure as to which is an easier target, and wanted to do some more research, get my investigative 'skills'-" air quotes again, "-up before I went after them in earnest."
Lady Photon glances over at Brandish, who hasn't looked away from you. "Well. That might be a problem," Brandish says. "The Crook Club are gone from town."
What? "Really? I knew they were under pressure from the Empire, but I thought that had died down?"
Brandish shakes her head. "It's a moot point now, but I can give you a general description of the situation, if you're interested."
Well, that's not what you were expecting to hear. You nod. Might as well try to get something out of this. "Yes, please."
"This all started when the Crook Club accidentally did a job against an Empire front. Empire retaliated with a few scuffles in the street, and Bezzy - their real leader, the individual-negotiations thinker, tried to make a deal with Kaiser, to pay back the money stolen and make amends for the damages. He accepted at first, but reneged on the deal several weeks later. There were some sporadic battles between the Club and the Empire, where the Club was initially able to escape and regroup, but Kaiser was eventually able to attack in force.
Bezzy is dead. Kaiser killed her personally. Tommy Gun, maimed, by either Hookwolf, Fenja or Menja, maybe a mix of the three. We aren't sure - he was in a pretty bad state when the Protectorate arrived on the scene, and I'm mostly basing this off of their report. Enforcer was pretty badly hurt, too. They're both in a secure hospital for villain arrestees somewhere. Cardinal and Enterprise fled the city, to parts unknown."
"I… wasn't aware of that."
"The PRT prefers gang wars like that stay hidden. The more attentive cape observers might have noticed some Protectorate activity and loud noises in that area a few weeks ago, but it's not in the PRT's interests for the public to be able to pay too much attention to how bad things really are, in spite of their and our best efforts."
You look off into the distance. "Depressing."
"Yes," Brandish agrees. "But that's what we're here for, isn't it? To be the lights in the darkness."
"Your idea of going after the Merchants is sound," Lady Photon says. "They're slippery, and they aren't as obvious a problem as Lung, Coil, or the Empire. They tend to keep out of the spotlight, their crimes nuisance-level. Relatively speaking, of course."
"Relatively speaking," Brandish nods. "We have a few general areas where we know the Merchants tend to operate. Baerck, Cammell, Boar Avenue. We don't often fight them - the larger gangs of the city tend to draw our focus when we see them."
The matriarch of the Dallon branch reaches over to a small yellow notepad on the table and scrawls down a list of streets and addresses, then tearing a sheet off and handing it to you. "Here. The PRT and Protectorate don't often patrol these areas, but these are areas where we've noticed suspicious activity on our fly-bys. Some of them could be nothing, but some could lead you down the right path."
"Thank you!" you say, with a bit more enthusiasm than you expected. "This is great to have, really!"
Brandish smiles. "Think nothing of it. We'll have to circle back in a few weeks, exchange notes. Hopefully after you get a nice headline about the arrests of some of the Merchants."
"I wish I had more information to repay you with." You worry that telling them about the warehouse on Baerck where you saw Skidmark meeting with his dealers will see yourself receiving criticism for breaking the unwritten rules, even if you did it unintentionally. New Wave was theoretically founded against the principles of secret identities, but… it's probably a whole can of worms to bring up in any case. "If you'd like, in the future, I can help you with costume repair, design. I'm working on raising my teaching 'skill', I might be able to teach things like first aid, hand to hand, stuff like that."
Their expressions grow a bit more strained. "Now… Factota, I'm sorry to bring this up, and I hope it doesn't sound accusatory, but are you registered with the PRT?"
"Um-" you start, hating yourself as soon as the filler leaves your mouth. The question caught you off guard. "Not yet. I've been putting it off. I don't… bureaucracy and I have a bad past," you say, and it sounds like a lame excuse, even as it's close to the truth. You hate this. You feel so out of place and amateurish.
"I don't mean to poke at any wounds here. But," Brandish grimaces. "Here's the thing. Have you heard of Teacher?"
You stare at her. "Yes. He's a villain. In the Birdcage," you say, and your defensiveness must be obvious in your tone, because Brandish holds up her hands as if to ward off your anger.
"I don't mean to insult you or call you a villain. But here's the problem that happened with Teacher. He initially presented himself as a rogue, a cape who wasn't necessarily a hero or villain, and would sell his services to both sides. He had a successful business… until it was revealed that he was mind-controlling his customers. That the so-called 'Taught' were actually his thralls. I don't mean to be blunt, or hostile, but any parahuman out there has reason to be suspicious of a thinker who claims to be able to Teach skills."
What the fuck? How? That… that's such an unfair comparison to make! You're just really good at teaching! That's all!
You shift uncomfortably in your seat, stewing in that thought, the instinctive anger at being compared to Teacher, of all fucking people, before you eventually speak up. The mask hides your features, but you're almost worried your body language will give you away.
"I… I understand your concern. I hadn't made the connection between my abilities and Teacher's, myself."
"That's understandable. He hasn't been in the public eye for a long time. It's reasonable that he might not come to mind. But there are a lot of things capes have to keep an eye out for. If you register with the PRT, if you submit to power testing and their scientists confirm that everything there is above board, no mind control or enthralling effects - we would love to have you training us. It would save a lot of time, it would make our lives more convenient."
Brandish continues. "We just can't take the risk of your powers working similarly to Teacher's. Even if you have only good intentions, you're, I presume, a newer cape, and don't really know the full extent of how your power works. Frequently, things like this take time to show themselves."
You meet her eyes again. "I'll try to make time to start that process. I… I really do want to help, in any way I can. I want to get out there and start making the world a better place."
"The world would be better off if more people thought like you," Brandish says.
Lady Photon interjects. "I know my sister can be a bit cautious, and, well, I love you, Carol, but… intense-"
"I am not," Brandish retorts, but there's a smile on her face.
"-but I really hope that this doesn't dishearten you. We aren't saying you're a villain, or that we won't work with you. I'm with my sister on this - we just can't risk exposing our family to those kinds of powers without being reasonably certain that it's safe."
Reasonably certain? Well. There's no one hundred percent sure with parahuman powers.
"Thank you," you say. This meeting feels like it's run its course, you doubt they wanted a long meeting anyway. You stand. "I will reach out in the future. My goal is to begin investigative work against the Merchants in… shortly," you say. With all of your projects and responsibilities, you don't feel comfortable giving an exact date, but that doesn't help with your feeling unhappy about being unable to give them a concrete time.
The two of them also stand. "I wish you nothing but the best of luck," Brandish says. "Do you mind if I have that paper back, just for a second?"
You hand her the yellow notepad paper, and she writes down a string of numbers. "This is a specialized phone number we use. If you're ever in a catastrophic situation, or you see a situation where you feel like you could use some help, call this number. I can't guarantee that we'll be there any faster than the PRT or the Protectorate, but we'll do our best to get to you."
"Thank you," you say, not for the first time in the evening. You almost feel like a charity case they're keeping at arms length. That Teacher comparison… you're going to try not to dwell on that. You can't help but feeling resentful about it.
The three of you exchange goodbyes, and you head home, saying good night to Dad, before transitioning back to Mayim and spending the night. No catastrophes while you were gone, thank God.
Location: First Stretch, Paradise, Grand Line, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Earth-Mayim, One Piece Multiverse, One Piece-jcw3
Date: Friday, May 27, 1532
At least you don't wake up to the sound of explosions this morning. By Straw Hat standards, it could be a boring day.
Chores go as usual - you and Usopp manage to make the most of the new tools and lumberware. 'This is so cool!' is a very worrying thing to hear a teenage boy say about an electric saw. You're terrified Usopp is going to accidentally cut off his own nose or something.
"No, I mean it, Taylor, this is great! You know how many days I spent before you joined with my arms all sore from that freaking saw?" he giggles boyishly and pats the side of the saw affectionately. "This is a lifechanger!"
You smile. "I'm glad you're happy with it. Feeling any more confident about your carpentry with that?"
He fondly strokes the power tool - alright, it's getting more than a little weird now. "Absolutely! Thanks again for showing me those tricks, and how to use this thing. That wood filler stuff is way more convenient than oakum."
"Anytime. Headway appreciated it, to-"
There's a rumble in the distance. The ocean ascends in a way they don't normally, even during the worst Grand Line storms, and it's clear skies now. There's a uniformity to it that terrifies you. It takes you less than a second to draw the connection. "Monster!" you shout, at the top of your lungs, bear vocal cords letting your voice carry further, even into the depths of the ship. Usopp whimpers a little, clutching the rechargeable saw and clumsily pressing the ON button.
Zoro's the first one you spot rising to the occasion, but Sanji and Luffy aren't far behind. "Do you see it, Taylor-chan?" Sanji asks. You're relieved they trust you immediately, but now you're worried you were wrong about it.
"That wave-" you begin, but Zoro cuts you off.
"It was one change. One motion. Massive, a kilometer wide as far as I can tell," he looks out at the ocean warily. He's right. Rude, but right.
Sanji cautions a glance over the railing, while Luffy leans back, looking inappropriately bored. "I can't see anything. Water's too dark."
"Means it's either a really big Sea King way down below or a smaller Sea King close to the surface," Zoro agrees, the two of them on the same page for once.
Right after the Merry returns to a regular sea level, the wave receding almost calmly, the five of you lose your balance abruptly as another wave hits, this one bigger than the last, originating from a different spot to the west. Putting on your best boatswain voice, you yell out "Emergency positions!"
The crew follows your command, taking to the sails. Nami and Miss Wednesday finally burst out from the women's room, glancing in every direction as they try to catch up on the situation. Mr. 9 emerges from the storeroom, looking in your direction. "What's going on? Are we under attack?"
"There's a mystery monster!" Luffy calls out.
"Oh, that's helpful!"
Let's see… it came from there, and then changed over to there - "Hard starboard!" you call out, as you realize what's about to happen. Just as the Merry starts picking up wind, another wave hits, bigger, heavier than the last, reinforcing and overtaking the second wave. It catches the ship in its grasp, and lurches it to the side, almost tipping it over all the way. Almost everyone loses their balance or at least their grip.
Usopp, who still has the fucking saw going, yelps as he flies towards you, clumsily dropping the saw as it launches in your direction! You catch it and press the power button in one deft motion, before grabbing him by the back of his suspenders, and from the yelp, you realize you accidentally tightened them a bit hard.
You can apologize later, because for now Nami and Miss Wednesday are clinging to the railing! Giant albatross form taken, you swoop down and grab the both of them in your talons, abruptly shifting a terrified Usopp to your back, and as you do, the ship rights itself and the wave passes.
Dropping the three of them off, you stand by while a few more minutes pass and no waves come. That's it. A gigafauna beneath the waves, just passing by in the course of its regular life, probably just bobbing up and down casually, and it nearly killed three people. Anticlimactic and unnerving all in one, that there are creatures that can kill you accidentally, without having even seen you or your having offended them.
You allow yourself a chance to rest, and the rest of the Merry's passengers take that as an invitation to relax themselves. The saw, to your relief, did not fall overboard after you just bought it yesterday, and you hand it back to Usopp with a warning, before letting him know you're going to your homeworld for a while. Seeking out a spot you've secured in the storeroom for this very purpose, you change worlds.
Location: Brockton Bay, New Hampshire, United States of America, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Earth-Bet, Parahumans Multiverse, Parahumans-jcw3
Date: Saturday, January 25, 2011
New Hampshire requires those under sixteen aspiring for a driver's license to take a tedious, time-consuming online course that slowly and methodically goes over every possibility they may face on the road. It's optional if you're over sixteen and have a hundred hours of driving experience signed by multiple adults, or if you're eighteen, but for you, you'll likely have to pass this course to be able to sit for the test in June when you're sixteen.
It's the mundane skill of mundane skills, but it's the sort of thing that could come in handy. The course isn't what you would describe as difficult, but it is annoying. It feels like a waste of your time, busywork designed by some bureaucraft just to tick boxes, and you're frustrated the entire time.
You're sitting through videos that you sometimes can't speed up (you can do that for ninety percent of them, but for some reason, maybe one in ten won't let you). The interface is outdated, sometimes links don't work, you have to click to the right of a button to advance rather than on the button itself - like you said. Annoying.
The whole experience sucks, but the information itself is valid, and Headway seems to find it an easy skill to work with. In about an hour and a half of studying, you manage to reach the level of a typical fifteen year-old who's spent maybe thirty hours on the road, without having ever been behind the wheel. That, in and of itself, is almost good enough to pass the exam in June, but you still have to finish the stupid course before you can do that. You could probably finish the entire thing tomorrow if you put your mind to it.
Whatever. You're tired of looking at the state's interface. You've been meaning to study engineering a bit more - it could act as a springboard for understanding tinkertech from Bet and Mahon. If it was so easy to understand tinkertech by being a good engineer, the world would look a lot different, but you can't imagine it would hurt, and having this skill is inherently a good thing.
You're sure Headway would agree with your decision, but unfortunately, the online videos and courses you're reviewing don't sink in all that well, and you don't feel like you've hit any sort of milestone. Progress made, certainly, but not capital-p progress.
A bit let down, you-
Location: First Stretch, Paradise, Grand Line, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Earth-Mayim, One Piece Multiverse, One Piece-jcw3
Date: Friday, May 27, 1532
-return to Mayim. Even from the storeroom, buried underneath wood and a tarp behind some barrels, you can hear a blizzard pummeling the Merry. "Fuck," you swear under your breath.
Rushing upstairs, you arrive in the midst of one of the worst snowstorms you've ever experienced. You count your blessings that the sea didn't have time to freeze or develop an icy layer, and that you 'only' have to deal with the heavy snow pounding the caravel.
"Shovel!" you shout at Mr. 9, who's panickedly shoveling snow overboard. A look of relief on his face, he tosses the shovel your way, and, using more martial arts training than you'd expect, start clearing the deck expeditiously. Sanji had a similar idea to you, you can tell - he's just kicking it overboard. Luffy scoops it up with rubber limbs that can cover a third of the ship in mere moments. Zoro is asleep. Somehow.
The snowfall begins to dampen, and after a very hectic half-hour (longer for the rest of the Straw Hats, you imagine), you finally see an end to the blizzard. Phew. Even with your Cold Resistance, you're chilly- and right as you think that, you no longer are. Another growth in Cold Resistance, making you as resistant to the cold as it's possible for a human to be.
"Where the hell were you?" Mr. 9 demands, eyes wide.
You give him a quick glance as you scrape off the railing. "Sorry. Was asleep in the storeroom. It's my happy place."
"You-" he makes a frustrated verbalization, before grumbling and walking away. You take a minute to rest against the railing next to Zoro, absent-mindedly brushing some accumulated snow off of the swordsman's head. He opens one eye and gives you an annoyed look, and you snort.
You stretch a bit as you rise from your relaxation, spotting Miss Wednesday working on the crew's laundry out on the deck. From the looks of it, just getting started, thankfully. Yeah, that… you've been putting this off for a while too long. You think for a while, and make a beeline for the women's room.
Nami's cross-referencing some of her notes with one of the books from the shelf when you enter the room and shut the door behind you. Her eyes flicker over to you, and she leans back in her chair, accepting the opportunity for a reprieve.
You start the conversation with some small talk. "Should I be worried about the weather playing games with us?"
She starts to shake her head, but then seemingly thinks better of it. "Ah… well, I don't think it's as much of a concern as when we started on the Grand Line. But I wouldn't want you to disappear for days, if that's what you're asking."
You smile. "Don't plan to leave entirely. Just maybe half a day from now on, sometimes a bit more."
That could still be life or death for the Straw Hats as they are now, but your default will be to train on the Merry if it's an option. It'll have to do. Regardless, you'll be supporting them as much as you're capable. "That's a relief," she says, dog-earing the page she's on before closing the book. "You have a serious look on your face. Is something wrong? Yest-"
"It's not that," you reply, maybe a bit too quickly. "Really," you insist, when she looks skeptical. "It's about Miss Wednesday."
Nami grimaces. "I've told her about her the snoring probl-"
"Not that. It's… something else. I kind of talked to Luffy about it back at Twin Cape, but I didn't tell him the full story because of how I know."
She lets out a little exhalation. "The comic?" she says quietly.
"To an extent. I've found some evidence here, on Mayim, and I really do think it's importa-"
She raises a hand. "Stop acting like you have to be nervous around me," she sighs, saying it gently but firmly.
You look down, mustering the willpower to not instinctively say 'sorry'. "It's the kind of thing that would put the crew at risk, but I think we're already sort at risk. From Baroque Works, I mean."
Nami makes a face. "That ninja girl. Our houseguests."
"Yeah. I have more details about Miss Wednesday, in particular. Details that might impact the whole crew. I'd talk to Luffy about it, but it… it involves more spoilers than I'd be comfortable bringing up with him."
She thinks for a moment. "I'd suggest we talk to Sanji, but he's got a freaky blindspot when it comes to women. Do you know where Zoro is?"
Sleeping against the railing on the deck. Where else? You almost literally drag the uncomfortable, protesting swordsman to the women's room - apparently 'we need to talk in private' is unclear to him - but thankfully neither Mr. 9 or Miss Wednesday seem to care. Both are inured to the Straw Hats' antics by now.
"Hey, you!" he says to Nami, a bit more loudly than you'd like. "What's the big idea? Using her as your errand girl to fetch me-"
"It's important, Zoro," she says, cutting him off. "Remember the spoilers chat? On Twin Cape?"
There's something about the way she says that implies that the Straw Hats discussed that conversation when you weren't around. You could take a week and not be able to describe the ways the thought of that makes you feel, or why it makes you feel those ways.
"...oh." His almost frothing annoyance recedes, and he gives you a thoughtful look. You meet it. "Something big?"
"Mmhmm. Our captain forbade spoilers. He doesn't want the comic deciding our course towards Raftel. I get that. But this is important to me." You hate feeling like this. Every word spews out - you want to put intent into it, but there's that niggling thought - will this be what alienates them? Will this be what makes them see you in a different light? You do your best to silence those thoughts.
Zoro and Nami are silent, so you let it out. "Miss Wednesday's real name is Vivi Nefertari. She's the princess of Alabasta."
Nami's eyes boggle, while Zoro just lets out a low whistle. "Where's Alabasta?" Zoro asks.
Are they serious? Huh. You think they are. "Big country in the Grand Line. Their princess went missing a while back, she looks suspiciously similar to Miss Wednesday, to the point where I'm wondering how she even managed to infiltrate at all. One of my skills - World Events - it lets me know these things about the royals of the more prominent countries in the world. And this isn't just my theory - there was a reveal in the comic along those lines, too." You let them absorb that, heart pounding just a bit. "And so far, the comic's been pretty close."
"How's this our problem?" Zoro replies. "Some spoiled royal gets bored going to balls or whatnot, decides it'd be fun to become a bounty hunter. You said this was something that was putting us in danger."
"Getting to that," you say, again, a bit too quickly for your liking. "Baroque Works - their boss, Mr. 0, he's aiming to create some sort of utopia. We've all met people from Baroque Works, I think we can all agree that their idea of a utopia would be really, really shitty. They're going to do something to Alabasta. The ninja that attacked you and me-" you gesture towards Nami, "-she mentioned that Baroque Works was going to be operating in a desert climate. Alabasta is a desert country."
You continue. "Mr. 0's going to attack Alabasta. At some point in the near future, most likely. They know that Miss Wednesday is Princess Vivi, and that her bodyguard has also infiltrated them. I only know that because of the manga, but I'd bet almost anything-" you try to ignore Nami perking up at that, "-that they know that in real life, too."
"I want to fight Baroque Works. They're bad people, they're trying to make the world a worse place. I, um, I know that this is a lot to ask the crew to agree to - Miss Wednesday, Vivi, she's a stranger." You look at your crewmates, hoping you don't look as desperate as you feel, getting all of this out.
"They're almost guaranteed to be a challenge, Zoro. We've only met the weaker ones so far, but the ninja that attacked me told me they control several routes. You don't control bits of Paradise if you aren't strong in at least some respects." Nami now. "And obviously a Princess would pay us a lot of money if we saved her kingdom."
Zoro and Nami exchange a stare, both with hard looks on their face. Oh no. Come on. Please. "I-"
Zoro holds up his hand. "You're forgetting something."
Your heart sinks. "W-what am I forgetting?" Fuck. You stuttered. You actually stuttered.
He doesn't break eye contact. "You're a member of the Straw Hat pirates, and Baroque Works attacked you. This conwoman-" Nami looks bizarrely happy at that compliment, "-was attacked too, for whatever that's worth." Not happy anymore, she gives him an annoyed look. "Baroque Works fucked with us. Luffy's not the sort to brood over vengeance, and I doubt he's said anything outright about it… but their fate was sealed the minute that lousy ninja tried to kill you."
…oh. "I didn't… I didn't think… or know about that."
"You don't value yourself enough, Taylor," Nami sighs. She stares at the walls of the women's room. "The fact that you didn't even think to mention that one of Baroque Works literally tried to kill you- agh."
You… didn't think of that. It almost feels like it would have been selfish, to ask your teammates to take revenge on your behalf. "That's not why I want to stop them, though," you say, under your breath.
Zoro lets out a little laugh. "'To be a Hero'. So that's what it looks like."
Your face burns. "Bringing that up?"
"It's not an insult," he says, leaning back against the wall, a smile resting on his face. "It's good."
The three of you are silent for a moment. "So what now?" you ask. "I was thinking… maybe we could prime her? Tell her about what the Straw Hats have done? Stopping Don Krieg? The Trump Siblings? Kuro?" You try to be tasteful and not mention Arlong. You don't see any changes on Nami's face, so maybe you were successful.
Nami snorts. "Taylor, I love you, but you are not nearly subtle enough to succeed at that."
Wow, your face is really on fire. Does this count as Kachi Kachi training? It really should. Zoro shakes his head. "You're too earnest. If you go to dinner and start talking about heroic deeds or whatnot, she's going to suspect something's up the minute you open your mouth. You need a heartless manipulative harpy to pull something like that off." He gestures at Nami, who takes that comment a lot more in stride than you might have in her shoes.
You grimace. "I'd rather not manipulate her."
Nami's smile is… a bit worrying. "Taylor. We would never manipulate her. I'll tell you what. You, me, Zoro, her Majesty… before bed, we'll talk about this like adults, come to an agreement. Discuss payment terms, things like that."
Paym-? Zoro interrupts your train of thought. "Leave me out of this. I don't want to be your muscle in the background. You two can have your girl talk with Miss Wednesday on your own. When we need to fight these strong guys, then you'll need my help."
He leaves, and Nami turns to you. "It's almost time for dinner. Just act normal for now, and then when the three of us are ready for night rest, we'll have a conversation."
–
"Okay, what's up with you?" Miss Wednesday demands of you the moment the three of you are alone. "You were sneaking me glances all dinner! I don't swing that way, especially not for pirates!"
Nami sighs. What? You blink. "That's not-"
The navigatrix raises a hand, and you stop talking. Miss Wednesday gives you an incredulous look. "You're worth fourteen million beri, and you shut up when the navigator says so?"
To her credit, Nami doesn't betray any sign of annoyance at that. You reply, tersely, on her behalf, "She's my friend. And she's offering good advice. I was about to get sidetracked."
The bluenette - seriously, that's a very striking, distracting color scheme, and the fact that it's entirely natural makes you oddly fascinated - gives you an almost performatively studious look, as if she was trying to make herself above it all, smug, unaffected. "Sidetracked from what?"
"I think you need our help," you say. "And I think you know why."
The smugness fades almost instantly. "Explain," she says, shortly, testily, staring you down.
"I was scouted by Baroque Works a few weeks ago," you explain. "Ninja woman. I don't know her name."
"Nezu. She's a creep. We're… acquainted," Vivi says, distastefully. Ah. You can finally stop calling her Unknown Kunoichi.
"That was the impression I got from her too," you agree. Nami nods. "So, anyway. She was scouting me. She said because of my Devil Fruit and my achievements in the East Blue, I'd be a candidate for a frontier agent position."
"Your first bounty was fourteen million beri. I'm not surprised. She didn't know you were actually a pirate." She's trying to take control of the conversation back, present an image of strength. She's mentioned your bounty twice. You wonder if she's been using your crew's bounties as a psychological anchor of sorts.
"She said that since I was going to have a high rank anyway, that I should know that I'd be doing a lot of work in a 'desert climate'." Vivi's face falls. "'Nezu' mentioned a Boss, but she didn't say much else about him. I didn't think much of this at the time, but I pay attention to world events. I know about the important royal families, and when they go missing. Especially when you take a look back at previous editions of the newspaper, and notice from interviews that the royal guard captain has stepped away as well."
Vivi stares at you, mouth parted. "What are you trying to say?" she says, taking a step back.
Do you have her? You can't tell, but you're damn sure going to try. "Your kingdom is in trouble, Princess Vivi." An intake of breath. "Baroque Works is targeting it, and we both know they don't have good intentions. I don't know what you were planning, joining them, but if Nezu's representative, they aren't good people. And I think if they have the chance, they'll hurt, even destroy your country, to get whatever it is they want."
"They've already come after us, and now that I've beaten Nezu, I don't think they're going to stop coming after us until we're all dead." You take a step forward, reaching out a hand. "I want to help you. I think you want help, because I think you know exactly what I'm talking about, exactly what Baroque Works is going to do to your country. And if I figured out what you're doing, your highness, I bet this Boss has too."
Vivi laughs weakly. "You just have everything all figured out, don't you, Escape Artist?"
"Taylor. It's Taylor."
Her lips quiver as she looks down. When she sees her hands, she lets out a full body shudder as she realizes they're shaking. Steeling herself, she looks back at you. It's a different look than the affected smugness from before. "Then I'm Vivi. Not, not around Mr. 9. Around him I'm still Miss Wednesday. I don't… Miss Wednesday. Let's stick with Miss Wednesday for now. I don't- gah. I really thought this would work."
You feel a surge of hope. "Does this mean-" she seizes up, and you stop short.
"Igaram," she says, weakly at first, but she steels herself again. "We- we have to go to Whiskey Peak. He might be in danger."
Nami pipes up. "Who's Igaram? The guard captain?" You're glad she was the one to ask there. She actually doesn't know, unlike you.
She looks reluctant, but the cat's out of the bag now. "My bodyguard. He's stationed at Whiskey Peak. On Cactus Island. It's our - Baroque Works' - village. Mr. 9 and I were going to bring the whale's meat back there as provisions."
You wonder how that would even work, logistically. There can't be a ship in the world big enough to haul all of it, and you don't remember them having a substantial seafaring craft- not the important thing right now.
Nami begins to take over the conversation. "We don't have a log pose for Cactus. Only Foolshout."
Vivi looks crestfallen. "Then-"
"The Den Den Mushi? Can we get out a warning?" you interject. You stole it from the Marines who attacked you at Reverse Mountain, and haven't used it since.
The princess's eyes widen. "Yes - Igaram and I have a private snail on Whiskey Peak. I can call and warn him ahead of time. Please - let me-"
"Yes, of course-" you begin, idly realizing you don't even know how to 'operate' a Den Den Mushi, but Nami interrupts you.
"That's a Marine snail. How do we know the Eighth Branch won't just be listening to your call, taking notes, triangulating our location?"
Vivi shakes her head, almost tiredly explaining. "Baroque Works uses modified Marine Den Den Mushi as part of its day to day business. Mr. 0 is tied to the World Government. All he has to do is make the snails 'sing' a little bit differently, and… no problems. Maybe if the Marines were insanely lucky, if they had black snails monitoring every possible frequency and having a team filter through it, they'd pick it up. It's unlikely. You'd wind up picking up so much junk, that you'd have to have an absolute fanatic of a Marine commander in the right place at the right time, with the right team recording it."
Smoker's pretty fanatical. Apparently the same thought occurred to Nami. "Well, we've got one of those real workaholics coming after us. Captain Smoker, ever heard of him?" She asks.
Vivi lets out a gagging noise. "Captain Smoker! From Loguetown! A-are you serious? And… you've encountered him?"
"Escaped twice," you reply. "We aren't pushovers, Vivi."
"Right. Right. Of course." She mutters out those replies under her breath, before looking over at Nami. "In that case, Miss Nami, could you please allow me the use of your snail?"
Nami gives her a hard look, and a very, very brief look of exasperation in your general direction. "Good grief. If Taylor's wrong to trust you, and you try to call in an attack on us, you'll regret it, you know that, right? And we'll need to discuss snailular rates afterwards."
Vivi laughs, giving Nami a side eye. "Miss Taylor's made it clear to me that there's a far scarier guy than you or even Captain Smoker coming after me, and probably Igaram."
Who? You don't answer before Vivi starts massaging one of the snail's eyestalks in a certain way, before fiddling with the wires, and only then beginning to turn the dial. The snail's worryingly humanlike lips let out a dry, monotone 'pu-ru-pu-ru-pu-ru' dial tone as the call begins to go through.
"I've gotta wait eight rings to leave a message," she explains. "It's unlikely he's availab-"
The call is answered at the third ring. She freezes up in worry. "I was wondering when you get around to calling-" A deep male voice, almost mocking. "-Princess Vivi."
That's… you don't think that's- Vivi lets out a quiet 'oh no', almost dropping the communicator in panic. You reach over to help her, but she manages to clumsily grab hold of it again, pressing a button on the side. "M-Mr. 5? Who's Princess Vivi?"
Fuck. You remember him. He can pull off pieces of his body to generate bioorganic explosions. His partner's codenamed Miss Valentine. A woman with a limited personal gravity effect, changing between one and ten thousand kilograms, if you remember right.
In the comic, he and his partner were sent to kill Miss Wednesday and Mr. 8 after their status as spies was discovered, independently of the Straw Hats' arrival at Whiskey Peak. Fuck. You didn't consider that.
The man on the other end of the line snickers. "You're still trying that, after your cover got blown wide open? Royals really are too stubborn for their own good."
Anger's spreading on Vivi's face, overtaking concern. "What happened to M- the person that normally answers this line?"
"Oh, don't worry, your majesty. Guard Captain Igaram's alive. So's that duck of yours, in case you were wondering."
You share a glance with Nami. This isn't good in the slightest.
"W-what will you do with them?"
"Like I said, Princess. No need to worry. They'll be heading home soon, along with you. Only a little singed. I'd like to let Igaram say hello, but, well, he's not feeling up to the task right now. You understand." You find yourself clenching your fist in impotent fury, and it's not even your… what is Igaram to Vivi? Uncle-figure? Father-figure? Friend?... your family and pet being threatened. You can't imagine how Vivi feels at the sheer unfairness of the situation.
"You're with the Straw Hat Pirates, right? I'm almost impressed, Princess. You managed to get your partner and some backseas pirates to follow you down the path of getting shishkebabed and desiccated."
Nami exhales almost silently through her teeth. If you didn't have a high Perception, you wouldn't have caught it.
"Not a decision I'd have made, but I don't have that same royal education as you, you see." He's monologuing. In real life. It'd be galling even if he weren't threatening your lives. "Is Straw Hat listening now, Princess?"
She doesn't respond. She looks shellshocked. Nami doesn't look especially interested in answering, and there's a moment of lingering silence… you decide to gently grab the communicator from Vivi's hands. She lets you supplant the take over, hands limp. "I'll have to do," you speak into the microphone, unable to conceal the anger in your voice.
"Oh?" Mr. 5 asks, curious. "I was expecting Straw Hat, not one of his women. Are you Escape Artist or the cute redhead?"
You hear a muffled 'hey!' from the snail-phone. Miss Valentine? His partner? Are they together? "Escape Artist."
"Ah, of course. You picked a bad time to sign up for piracy, bear girl. Could have been part of something truly great." The 'bear girl' line and that 'cute redhead' crack about Nami. He's showing off how much Baroque Works knows about the Straw Hats.
You glare daggers at the snail, which you belatedly realize has adapted some of Mr. 5's physical traits, a smug smile, half-closed eyes. That effect must be a two-way street. You school your features correspondingly, to project calm. "If it means I get to stop you bastards, I think I picked an alright time."
He lets out what sounds like an involuntary, disbelieving chuckle, and you hear a shrill, unpleasant 'kyahahaha!' from the snail. "You have no idea how fucking stupid you are, girl. We're going to burn your dinky little rowboat until it's nothing but ash. We're going to kill each and every one of you East Blue washout pirates. We're going to take your captain out to sea, slit his throat and take his Devil Fruit for our own. We're going to drag your princess to the ruins of Alubarna and force-feed her a stew made of her guard captain and her adorable little duck. We're going to burn her kingdom to the ground and build a utopia on its corpse. And, you audacious little bitch, we're going to do it all without you having even met the Boss."
Mr. 5 lets out a little scoff. "Unbelievable. You're probably too much of an idiot to even realize what an impossible war you just declared, Escape Artist."
You deliberately keep your expression steady. What more information can you get from him? How do you extend this conversation? It's not like with Nezu, where she was trying to get you on board, almost a captive audience in a way. Entirely different framework. "I bet all of the pirates we've beaten so far would have told us something similar, bounty hunter."
He chuckles again. "Sure, sure. Well. You'll have an opportunity to prove yourselves soon enough. The Unluckies say you're sailing towards Foolshout Island. We'll be waiting."
There's a clicking sound. The call ends. Disbelieving, you stare at the communicator. You've… have you been ever threatened so explicitly and so personally by someone so powerful? Vivi wordlessly presses that button on the side again, and the snail's lips let out a little dial tone.
Nami shakes the metaphorical cobwebs out of her head. "You recorded that?!"
Vivi sets her lips in a line. She speaks, and every word is forced, deliberate. "As soon as I realized it was Mr. 5 on the other snail. Figured you'd need something with which to convince your captain."
Nami sighs dramatically and sits down in her writing chair. She rests her face in her hands, rubbing her eyes stressfully. "Just how much should we be worried about Baroque Works, Vivi?"
The princess folds her arms. Even in the plain sailor clothes she's wearing, she affects a regal status, standing proud in spite of her fear and anger. You feel a certain admiration developing for her, keeping herself standing tall in the face of a threat like this. Vivi looks over at Nami. "This secret would get you killed under normal circumstances. But… you're already on Baroque Works' kill list."
"Mr. 0 is Crocodile. One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
You feel like you betrayed your principles just now. Your first thought was 'maybe this is an unwinnable war'.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea. Seven pirates who chose to became attack dogs of the government, gaining a full pardon in exchange for serving as a counterbalance against not only unleashed regular pirates around the sea, but also the Yonkou, the rulers of the New World. Those four have leveled more populated islands than America has major cities, all under their own power, not aided by cannons, or ships, but their raw, brute strength, and that of their subordinates.
And the Seven Warlords are capable of threatening them. That's one of the people who just declared your crew 'dead pirates sailing'. Well. You'll just have to deal. You take a deep breath, and meet Vivi's eyes. "We saved the East Blue. This crew stopped the remnants of Don Krieg's fleets. We saved Clockwork Island from the Trump Siblings. Hell, you're talking Warlords? They stopped Arlong, one of the Knight of the Sea's former right-hand men."
You reach out a hand and place it on her shoulder. She doesn't push it aside, so you leave it there. Confidence building up, you continue. "A Warlord? That's just the next logical step for this crew. We'll beat him and save your kingdom."
Vivi laughs. "You have a contagious optimism, Miss Taylor. I wish I shared it. I… I don't even know if Karoo and Igaram are alive. I don't know what's going to happen to my kingdom. All I know is… we have to stop Baroque Works."
"Ask Luffy for help," you implore her. "He'll help you."
"Especially if we show him that nightmarish recording," Nami shudders. That's not really helpful for calming Vivi down and letting her know your crew is reliable, but… she's not wrong.
You wish you were better at stuff like this, at being an inspiring hero. You always feel like you're a light year short of that ultimate goal. For now, all you can really say is, "We'll stop them. Together. For now, let's try and get some rest. We can talk to Luffy and the rest of the crew about this tomorrow, when they're less exhausted from the day's chaos."
The Tommy's Hardware scene has been changed from my draft/the rolls I shared to add in two skill rolls - I realized Taylor probably wouldn't get a great reception trying to buy lumber as a fifteen year old girl on her own, so I shifted that around a bit, and you guys got to roll for Disguise and Acting. I also realized the Combat Instinct roll didn't work for what I planned for the Sea King encounter, that was removed. Reflexes was the only roll appropriate for that.
The New Wave and Vivi convos were swapped because I thought it would be a bit weird for that crazy snail call with Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine to happen and for Taylor to just go back to driver's ed like nothing mattered the next day.
There you have it. War has been declared. Baroque Works vs. the Straw Hats. Log poses set, the Going Merry, on an inevitable course to conflict.
You have two days to vote on now. Day 1 (Sunday, January 16, 2011, Saturday, May 28, 1532, Sunday, November 12, 2000), and Day 2 (Monday, January 17, 2011, Sunday, May 29, 1532, Monday, November 13, 2000). Voting closes on Wednesday, May 3, at midnight EST.
For Day 1, you have FOUR ACTIONS. For Day 2, you have FIVE ACTIONS.
Ordinarily, you would have seven actions. For Day 1, two actions will be used on First Stretch-related bosuning/general assistance, and one will be used for the crew meeting re: Baroque Works' declaration of war. Day 2 is two more actions for First Stretch-related bosuning/general assistance. This number will go down.
Your driver's ed project would ordinarily be a mandatory action, but due to the extenuating circumstances, I'm putting it on hold and letting you resume it either later, or in this very vote, if you would prefer to get it done now.
If you would like to mention something at the morning crew meeting, write it as an add-on in your plan and @ me. I have veto power, as always.
Before you take a look at the training/project options, view these (2) additional items you need to vote on. These are separate from plans. If you vote solely for Plan [user] but do not vote for MENTALITY and POWER USE, you will not have a vote counted.
MENTALITY: That call with Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine - it shook you. You've never been threatened like that before, you've never faced an enemy as powerful as Baroque Works before, and you've never had this kind of advance warning for a threat before. How does this affect you? This mentality will stick with Taylor until Foolshout is 'finished', and then the players/Taylor will get a chance to reevaluate whether they want to stick with it or not. This is not a light decision on Taylor's part, it should be treated as something with gravity. No write-in options here, pick one.
The Straw Hats will arrive on Foolshout sometime in the next eight to twelve days. The Foolshout arc will not be finished then, it will just be starting. Taylor does not know how long the business on Foolshout Island will take, how many days, etc. Assume at least 8-12 days of the below effect(s).
–[ ] MENTALITY: It doesn't. You and your friends will fight them, and you'll win, having done what you were planning to do all along. No change to skill chances. Taylor continues on as normal.
–[ ] MENTALITY: You want to prioritize combat/combat-adjacent skills or powers. You aren't sure it's the right time to focus on anything else. Until you are 'finished' with the conflict at Foolshout Island, the following skills will have +10 added to whatever you roll, other skills will have -10 from whatever you roll. This quest does not have critical failures. Skills in question: Acrobatics, Blunt Weapons, Bombmaking, Boxing, Capoeira, Combat Instincts, Devil Fruits (Kachi Kachi, Sube Sube), Dual Wielding, Fengten's Tekkutoryu, Fishman Karate (General, Mizudangan), Freerunner, Judo, Killing Intent, Knives, Kung Fu, Marksmanship (Primitive), Ninjutsu, Parahuman powers (if any gained during this period), Poisoncraft, Poison Resistance, Reflexes, Running, Shape Changing, Stealth, Tactics, Weightlifting. This limitation also applies to skills learned from random encounters or mandatory actions. Driving project will be abandoned until this effect ends, or if you choose to reinstate it.
POWER USE: Reaching out to New Wave brought to mind another problem you have. On Earth-Bet, your powers would make you a resource to be exploited. It might be worth hiding your powers to an extent, even from the heroes and allies you make, at least for the time being. This attitude will remain in effect for about a month in-universe, and then we can reevaluate it based on player opinion. This should be considered a temporary measure until the players think they're ready for potential Bet-exposure of the truth of Taylor's powers..
Leaning towards no write-in options here, if you have something you think is a winning idea, @ me, but the answer is probably no. I think these three are a decent spectrum of options that keep you viable on Bet.
–[ ] POWER USE: Hide your power almost entirely, and avoid situations where you'd even have to risk using it. You told New Wave you were (mostly) purely a skill-thinker with some bonuses, stick with that. On Bet, you won't do anything a skill-thinker with some bonuses couldn't do. Locks off options to fight most gangs, save the Merchants and Circus. If you choose this option, next update, a project to create a new back-up identity will be added where you can use your other powers, players allowed to elaborate in write-ins with my permission.
–[ ] POWER USE: Hide your power by claiming to be a skill-combat thinker, as above, but you'll use powers like Sube Sube and Ninjutsu (once fully leveled) more openly in combat. It's a thinner definition of 'skill-thinker with some bonuses to it', but you think it's consistent with what you told New Wave. Locks off options to fight most gangs in groups. Taylor will be willing to ambush (some) villain capes if they're by themselves or in groups of three, where she would previously have just withdrawn completely. If you choose this option, next update, a project to create a new back-up identity will be added where you can use your other powers, players allowed to elaborate in write-ins with my permission. I will also add projects to go after more gangs in the subsequent update.
–[ ] POWER USE: Tell your allies you're a skill-thinker with some bonuses, implying (as you did to an extent in the New Wave chat ('close to the vest')) that there's more to it. In combat however, you fight without restrictions. Maybe in the not too distant future, E88 finds themselves fighting a rock-hard, burning hot bear that completely no sells physical and stabbing attacks, that constantly spews out near-boiling water bullets. This could result in some difficult conversations with your allies, and unwanted attention, but you functionally would fight the same way you would on Mayim or Mahon. No restrictions on fighting cape groups. For now, the Merchants/Circus project is all Taylor will have, but more will be added if you choose this. This option is the likeliest to draw attention your way, but also the likeliest way to gain powers fast. If you pick this option, you'll need to be able to manage time wisely enough to balance the first risk with the second gain.
[x] Plan This is a Croc v.3
-[x]Day 1
--[X] There's the Crocodile/Princess Vivi elephant-in-the-room to deal with. Right now, Princess Vivi is still known to the crew save you only as Baroque Works' Miss Wednesday. You've hinted at this to Luffy, he knows she's a Blue Mystery Girl, but that's as far as it goes. This is likely to be a very complicated conversation, but it needs to be broached, ideally before you and the Straw Hats get yourself buried in a complete mess. 1 action.
---[X] Broach the topic with Nami and Zoro, tell them everything you know about Alabasta's situation and get their help with planning the talk with Vivi. And when they should ask Luffy.
----[X] If they need motivation besides sympathizing with Vivi or Alabasta and wanting to help, or that you want to (which is fair, it's a big ask and Vivi is a stranger)...well, Baroque Works offers a lot of challenges and their members also happen to clearly be bullies who deserve a thrashing. And as royalty, Vivi is rich, she'd surely be grateful to those that help her and her kingdom, right? Maybe monetarily grateful. And you can take Baroque Works' stuff.
---[X] One of your ideas is to prime Vivi for the conversation by casually dropping hints and stories about the Straw Hat crew's power and heroic tendencies. Maybe set up another gathering to tell stories? To highlight their abilities, and also their inclination towards fighting pirates that hurt or oppress civilians. Arlong Park and Clockwork Island should especially resonate with Vivi's plight. You won't ask Nami to get personal on the former unless she wants to. If not bringing it up before, those things could be brought up when actually talking to her.
---[X] The talk should be done away from Mr. 9 since Vivi obviously hasn't revealed her identity to him yet.
---[X] Reveal you know her identity with the excuse of keeping track of the noble lineages that attend the Levely every 4 years (if you need an excuse at all). From encounters with other officers (you with Nezu and Zoro with the former Mr. 7) you pieced together that Baroque Works is targeting Alabasta and that there's some mysterious boss pulling the strings.
---[X] Lean into your shared idealism. Both yourself and Vivi want to make the world a better place, even if for Vivi it's just her own kingdom for now.
---[X] The goal is to get her to accept our help and get as much info about Baroque works as possible. If successful, she should ask Luffy for help directly (not that his response is really in doubt, it's an adventure that involves punching jerks in the face with a victory feast among the likely rewards, but he's still the captain and should be the one that decides to set course for Alabasta)
--[x] Ninjutsu (category skill). The ninja you fought on Warship Island had a few special techniques she used that seemed beyond human ability. Headway tells you that these techniques are derived from mastery of other skills. 0% of Ninjutsu 0. (+20 bonus available) (subskills are Meteorology, Geography, Disguise, Acting, Meditation, Tactics, Stealth, Swimming, Freerunning, Horsemanship, Knives, Polearms, Swordmanship, Blunt Weapons, Explosives, Demolitions, Bombmaking, Killing Intent)
-[x]Day 2
--[x] Online driver's education. New Hampshire lets you drive supervised at 15 1/2, and take your full test when you turn 16 in June. But just knowing how to drive could be handy in emergencies, or on other worlds. 1 action/2 days. (0/3 to completion, next skills: Driving)
--[x] Ninjutsu (category skill). The ninja you fought on Warship Island had a few special techniques she used that seemed beyond human ability. Headway tells you that these techniques are derived from mastery of other skills. 0% of Ninjutsu 0. (+20 bonus available) (subskills are Meteorology, Geography, Disguise, Acting, Meditation, Tactics, Stealth, Swimming, Freerunning, Horsemanship, Knives, Polearms, Swordmanship, Blunt Weapons, Explosives, Demolitions, Bombmaking, Killing Intent)
--[x] Introduce ourselves to New Wave
---[x] The intent is to start a cordial relationship and avoid problems from lack of information sharing. Reveal we are a skill-learner and plan on focusing on the Crook Club and Merchants for the foreseeable future, offer to teach skills we have picked up if they're interested.
--[x] Engineering (category skill). This could be a massively useful skill. 20% of Engineering 3. (+20 bonus available) (subskills are Bombmaking, Clockwork Engineering, Earth-Bet Engineering, and Shipwright)
-[x]Day 1
--[X] There's the Crocodile/Princess Vivi elephant-in-the-room to deal with. Right now, Princess Vivi is still known to the crew save you only as Baroque Works' Miss Wednesday. You've hinted at this to Luffy, he knows she's a Blue Mystery Girl, but that's as far as it goes. This is likely to be a very complicated conversation, but it needs to be broached, ideally before you and the Straw Hats get yourself buried in a complete mess. 1 action.
---[X] Broach the topic with Nami and Zoro, tell them everything you know about Alabasta's situation and get their help with planning the talk with Vivi. And when they should ask Luffy.
----[X] If they need motivation besides sympathizing with Vivi or Alabasta and wanting to help, or that you want to (which is fair, it's a big ask and Vivi is a stranger)...well, Baroque Works offers a lot of challenges and their members also happen to clearly be bullies who deserve a thrashing. And as royalty, Vivi is rich, she'd surely be grateful to those that help her and her kingdom, right? Maybe monetarily grateful. And you can take Baroque Works' stuff.
---[X] One of your ideas is to prime Vivi for the conversation by casually dropping hints and stories about the Straw Hat crew's power and heroic tendencies. Maybe set up another gathering to tell stories? To highlight their abilities, and also their inclination towards fighting pirates that hurt or oppress civilians. Arlong Park and Clockwork Island should especially resonate with Vivi's plight. You won't ask Nami to get personal on the former unless she wants to. If not bringing it up before, those things could be brought up when actually talking to her.
---[X] The talk should be done away from Mr. 9 since Vivi obviously hasn't revealed her identity to him yet.
---[X] Reveal you know her identity with the excuse of keeping track of the noble lineages that attend the Levely every 4 years (if you need an excuse at all). From encounters with other officers (you with Nezu and Zoro with the former Mr. 7) you pieced together that Baroque Works is targeting Alabasta and that there's some mysterious boss pulling the strings.
---[X] Lean into your shared idealism. Both yourself and Vivi want to make the world a better place, even if for Vivi it's just her own kingdom for now.
---[X] The goal is to get her to accept our help and get as much info about Baroque works as possible. If successful, she should ask Luffy for help directly (not that his response is really in doubt, it's an adventure that involves punching jerks in the face with a victory feast among the likely rewards, but he's still the captain and should be the one that decides to set course for Alabasta)
--[x] Ninjutsu (category skill). The ninja you fought on Warship Island had a few special techniques she used that seemed beyond human ability. Headway tells you that these techniques are derived from mastery of other skills. 0% of Ninjutsu 0. (+20 bonus available) (subskills are Meteorology, Geography, Disguise, Acting, Meditation, Tactics, Stealth, Swimming, Freerunning, Horsemanship, Knives, Polearms, Swordmanship, Blunt Weapons, Explosives, Demolitions, Bombmaking, Killing Intent)
-[x]Day 2
--[x] Online driver's education. New Hampshire lets you drive supervised at 15 1/2, and take your full test when you turn 16 in June. But just knowing how to drive could be handy in emergencies, or on other worlds. 1 action/2 days. (0/3 to completion, next skills: Driving)
--[x] Ninjutsu (category skill). The ninja you fought on Warship Island had a few special techniques she used that seemed beyond human ability. Headway tells you that these techniques are derived from mastery of other skills. 0% of Ninjutsu 0. (+20 bonus available) (subskills are Meteorology, Geography, Disguise, Acting, Meditation, Tactics, Stealth, Swimming, Freerunning, Horsemanship, Knives, Polearms, Swordmanship, Blunt Weapons, Explosives, Demolitions, Bombmaking, Killing Intent)
--[x] Introduce ourselves to New Wave
---[x] The intent is to start a cordial relationship and avoid problems from lack of information sharing. Reveal we are a skill-learner and plan on focusing on the Crook Club and Merchants for the foreseeable future, offer to teach skills we have picked up if they're interested.
--[x] Engineering (category skill). This could be a massively useful skill. 20% of Engineering 3. (+20 bonus available) (subskills are Bombmaking, Clockwork Engineering, Earth-Bet Engineering, and Shipwright)
2.20 The First Stretch 4
Location: First Stretch, Paradise, Grand Line, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Earth-Mayim, One Piece Multiverse, One Piece-jcw3
Date: Thursday, May 26, 1532
"Gomu Gomu no… War Axe!"
Luffy's foot rockets down. The same attack that destroyed Arlong Park and Nelson Royale's flagship lands, to devastating effect on the target as he deliberately drags his foot along the surface of the adversary, taking care to spread out the damage even if it reduces the impact to individual points.
Chunks of calcified shrapnel spray out as a reward for his efforts, and you can't help but wince a little seeing bits of wood burst off of the Merry's bow and hull- that's yet another thing to repair.
What threat demanded this of Luffy? Did the Marines catch up with you, was it greedy bounty hunters, rival pirates, a Sea King?
Coral. It was coral. An enormous coral reef 'iceberg', the size of a football field, an upper algae-coated layer on the surface collecting energy from the sun, the nutrients redistributed to the larger mass beneath the waves. Looking at it, your Naturalism skill helps you recognize it as Redmove coral.
It'd be easy for someone to ask why the Merry didn't simply avoid the reef. It should have been simple for a caravel with a skilled crew to avoid once it was noticed. But Redmove coral has that name for a reason. It's red, and it's ambulatory. When the Going Merry started to steer out of the way, the coral followed, likely hoping to use the biomatter of the ship as fuel.
Yes. You're still talking about coral here.
You aren't sure if Headway would recognize it as an enemy. You didn't get a chance to try and fight it, if what you're seeing could even be described as a fight. Awaking to the sound of crushing, you practically fell out of your hammock in your haste - to find Luffy and Sanji were already dealing with the problem, and from the sound of your captain's whoops, having a bit of fun at that.
You snap a picture of the impossible, incomprehensible horror. It'll be a neat thing to show Dad when you go back to Bet. Usopp rubs the sleep out of his eyes, yawning out a barely-comprehensible 'good morning', before staring flatly at the increasingly fragmented Redmove. "I hate that stuff like this is becoming something close to normal for me. I'm not even surprised by what I'm seeing anymore"
"I'm sure if you were fully awake, it would terrify you," you offer, your best effort at being comforting. He makes a face at you.
"It's terrifying enough that this nonsense didn't wake me all the way up," he gripes, scratching his hair. "I'm going insane. Only explanation."
In the distance, the two of you can hear a 'Gomu Gomu no.. Stamp!'
You give Usopp a look of mock confusion. "Luffy lets sane people on his crew?"
"Oh, you're a riot."
Morning routine, adjusted for the First Stretch, follows from there. Fishman form, check beneath the keel for any unwanted guests. Your changed shape scares off a school of fish that lived in a symbiotic relationship with the unlamented Redmove - well. Unlamented, besides by the fish who'll have to find a new patron.
Nothing beneath the Merry. After grabbing a piece of Redmove calcium as a souvenir, you surface, and besides a light morning drizzle, there's thankfully nothing exciting from the Grand Line's weather.
You and Usopp spend a while hammering away (the pun stopped being funny to you ages ago) at various points in the ship. A 'minor' hailstorm during the night damaged a decent chunk of the deck, and there are a few spots where substantial repair is needed.
You split your attention between that and various chores around the Merry, your focus not particularly helped by freak twenty-foot waves rocking the Merry unpredictably and disappearing as quickly as they appear. Perhaps why Headway doesn't reward you with any progression in Carpentry.
There's enough wood left for another day's work, but the supply of oakum is functionally empty, and that might be needed for other uses beyond just sealing gaps. You add wood filler to your mental shopping list of items to purchase at a hardware store on Mahon.
–
When you find Sanji, he's lugging a bag of rice from the storeroom, followed by a grumpy looking Mr. 9 with what looks to be a heavier one. By this point, he's stopped bothering to apply the makeup on his face for his '9', and he's left his crown and fancier clothes somewhere else.
If it weren't for the old-timey Mayim clothes he was wearing, he almost looks mundane, like a guy you'd pass on the street in Manhattan or Brockton Bay. The bright red hair stands out, but you've seen people on your homeworld with that color. Miss Wednesday's, not so much.
You wordlessly take the bag from Mr. 9, and, in one hand, you toss it over your shoulder, finding a certain level of satisfaction in the bounty hunter's frustrated gagging sounds as he storms off. "Got a moment, Sanji?"
The cook grins goofily. "'Course. Nami mentioned you'd be heading out, Taylor-chan. Wanted to say goodbye?"
You nod, looking around only a bit nervously, to make sure Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday aren't within hearing distance. "We're keeping my 'trips' secret around our 'guests', right?" you say, voice low.
The grin fades and is replaced by something more serious. "Even Luffy knows to keep quiet. You don't have to worry on that front."
That takes a bit of the concern away. "You have somewhere private for me to transition back and forth, right? I normally would just find a spot in the womens' room and warn Nami beforehand, but you never know when Miss Wednesday might be there, and she's… with Baroque Works. "
Sanji scowls a bit at the name, almost imperceptibly. You guess any pirate worth their pegleg would be annoyed by the existence of bounty hunters.
"Tough to believe such a beautiful lady is with scoundrels like that." You're tempted to tell him about Ingenue as a sort of retort, but it would be like telling a child that their puppy is actually dead, not on a farm upstate. He gestures towards the door. "I'll lock the door. Say it's a cook wanting his privacy."
"Thank you, Sanji."
He actually curtsies. "Anytime, Taylor-swaa-"
"No."
"-san."
Location: Brockton Bay, New Hampshire, United States of America, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Earth-Bet, Parahumans Multiverse, Parahumans-jcw3
Date: Friday, January 24, 2011
Whoa. Your land legs aren't quite back yet. You've grown accustomed to the constant sway of the Merry, noticeable even on calm seas. You'll be walking wobbly for at least a few minutes, and the nausea from the transition, which you haven't experienced in days, doesn't help.
Rising shakily, you head to the kitchen fridge to leave another note for Dad, pausing when you see one from him. I love you. Please come home safe. Wednesday, 8:47 am.
You scrawl out an I will. I love you too. Friday, 11:38 am on that post-it, before taking a longer scratch of paper, letting him know you'll be back this evening.
Before you prepare to head out to Mahon, you get started on something you'd been meaning to do for a while, but just hadn't had the time for. You've already spoken briefly with Miss Militia, and although you haven't registered officially with the PRT - not wanting to give them more information than they needed on you, leverage that they could use against you if they were feeling unethical, you feel like you have a working relationship with her that you could build on.
But there's another major hero team in Brockton Bay, besides the PRT's Protectorate and the Wards. Well-trained, competent, known regionally and a fixture of the city as a bulwark against the gangs. New Wave.
The short version of the story regarding New Wave: Two families of capes around a decade ago get together, and decide to make a statement on the subject of capes wearing masks, revealing their identities to the public in the hopes of inspiring more trust in superheroes. As you understand it, New Wave (or as they were known then, the Brockton Bay Brigade) was trying to start a movement, one of unmasked capes, accountable to humanity and without the implications of secrecy.
And then one of their own was brutally murdered in their own home by a pathetic skinhead thug looking to score some street cred. The movement strangled in its crib, New Wave settled for being known as a local team of family heroes. Despite the initial stumbling of their intended movement, they're effective as hell. Even a superficial reading of their exploits in recent years will show a hypercompetent, coordinated team, who've single-handedly driven off half the Empire and Lung in fights in the past.
They're accomplished, they have information on the local gangs, which could help you as you begin to close in on the Merchants, and if you're lucky, you could begin exchanging services like superhuman clothing repair or even teaching them some mundane skills. You… aren't sure how you feel about revealing your full power set to people on Bet just yet, but for now, you're going to play it safe by only telling New Wave about the learn-mundane-skills-fast-and-make-them-ridiculous component of your power.
Taking a moment to make sure your VPNs are all set up as they should be - thank you, Computers skill - you then change into your Factota costume, snapping a quick picture against an undecorated wall, giving a wave at the camera next to a copy of the day's newspaper. Hopefully the picture will convince whoever on New Wave's team scans the messages that you're legitimate, and not just a con artist or an ingenious groupie.
You load the picture as an attachment on a disposable Prima account, and use the social media platform to reach out to New Wave's verified profile. Good afternoon. My cape name is Factota. I had my public introduction not too long ago, and I was hoping to reach out and meet New Wave, to exchange information and establish a cordial relationship. Please reach out whenever is most convenient for you!
You stare at the message for a frankly embarrassing amount of time, before clicking send. After that, and trying your best to convince yourself you didn't humiliate yourself with that communication, you grab your Mahon spending money from your bedroom dresser, get changed into a more appropriate outfit for walking Manhattan, and transition over.
Location: Manhattan Island, New York City, New York, United States of America, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Earth-Mahon, X-Men: Evolution Multiverse, X-Men: Evolution-jcw3
Date: Friday, November 10, 2000
This alley is as disgusting and stinky as it was when you first found it. You give a hard stare towards a territorial rat, idly wondering if that could be a way to train Killing Intent, before deciding against it. At least the alley being as revolting as it is prevents people from traveling down it, even the desperate.
You take the form of a storm petrel, hoping you'll be able to avoid confusing any observant birdwatching groups while you find your way to an information kiosk. It takes you some time, but eventually you find a place to stealthily land and transform.
The help desk assistant takes your question about 'places to buy bulk lumber' in stride, and after double-checking through the phone book, points you to Tommy's Hardware and Lumberwares a few blocks down. Finding a flat, blue-grey warehouse with massive garage doors to enable through traffic, you stride forth.
You're presenting the look of an older woman, maybe mid-twenties. More of a tomboyish vibe, hair deliberately tied into a function-over-form bob, plaid shirt, cargo khakis. The sort of woman who wouldn't be too out of place shopping in a hardware store for bulk lumber for a do-it-yourself project. Headway seems to appreciate the Disguise, and you spot a few easy ways you could have improved the look if you took the time. Stains here, wrinkled in such a way as to suggest extensive use… something to consider for the future.
"Lookin' to buy some bulk lumber. Scrap wood if you've got it, ideally oak." You try to affect a certain persona, get into character. A clerk guides you to the relevant section, and you get a few hundred Mahon dollars worth of scrap oak, more than enough to see the Merry to Foolshout Island with clever rationing. When you ask, you even get some cull lumber they'd been meaning to toss, added on for free.
Another hundred or so goes to buying some basic tools and supplies - tape measurers, a good stock of wood filler, putty knives, squares, dust masks, things of that nature, and there's a deal on a rechargeable saw that seems like a bargain. Usopp can use it to save some muscle power on the harder jobs, and if it runs out of power, he has the regular elbow grease saw. When it runs out, you can just charge it at home on Bet.
It might be useful to buy Usopp some power tools and instruct him in their use. You'd have to focus on rechargeable tools that don't require an outlet, but it's something to consider. He's clever, and you'll be good enough at Teaching soon that he'll probably be able to pick it up quickly enough. Just might be a bit of an expenditure of time and money.
You ask the clerk for a hand truck to take your lumber to 'your pickup', and 'Naw, I'm good' away offers of help. Headway gives you an appreciative tingle as a compliment to your Acting skills.
It takes you a while to find a good spot to hide both yourself and the hand truck full of tied lumber, and a few trips back and forth from the warehouse to an alley, and then from the alley to the Merry. Tedious, but it solves the Merry's lumber shortage for the foreseeable future, and it's possible you'll be able to stock up again on Foolshout when you arrive.
Location: First Stretch, Paradise, Grand Line, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Earth-Mayim, One Piece Multiverse, One Piece-jcw3
Date: Thursday, May 26, 1532
It's mid-afternoon when you finish bringing over the oak and carpentry supplies (and, obviously, returning the hand truck). Sanji agrees to handle the work of getting the stuff into the storeroom without alerting Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday, which takes one stress off of your mind. You get a quick bite to eat - getting all of those supplies in order made you famished.
You arrived back in the middle of a blessedly sunny day - perfect for training. It feels like you have so little time for this nowadays, so many projects, keeping the Merry afloat, taking baby steps towards heroism on Bet, so much to do, so few hours in the day.
Sitting cross-legged near the rear of the ship, you reflect on the Baroque Works ninja that 'tested' you on Warship Island. She never gave you her name, but you'll settle for her power. You still aren't quite sure if 'power' is the right descriptor.
She was… an actual real life ninja. While you're reflecting and all, you may as well reminisce on that ridiculousness. You wonder what her codename would have been. Is there a Ninja Day holiday? It's perhaps a testament to how winded you are because embracing your role as boatswain that a little internal joke like that actually got a tiny chuckle out of you. You aren't even sure if the gendered codenames for women have any internal logic. You have no idea what Miss Wednesday's skillset has to do with… Wednesday.
Whoever she was, Unknown Kunoichi had a form of Magic. The shadows shifted with her, she was able to pull objects from spaces where they seemingly shouldn't have fit - there was something supernatural going on there. The question is what, though?
It seemed like UK was using mundane skills and boosting them slightly through supernatural means, almost like you. Was that why Baroque Works chose her to scout you? Did they draw a comparison between two jills-of-all-trades? She had the stereotypical tools of her craft - knives, smoke bombs, so on. How does that compare to what you know of ninja techniques on Mayim?
Ninjutsu is a known phenomena on Mayim. The closed country of Wano in the New World has had ninjas sneak out and travel abroad, making a name for themselves with false or even true duplication abilities, scrolls that can store objects, temperatures or people in pocket dimensions, among other things. What little you know of ninjutsu is filtered through rumor, and myth, and falsehoods, but you can pluck out grains of truth here and there.
UK didn't seem like New World material, but you have a general idea of the upper limit of ninjutsu, and even if her ability 'only' allowed her to augment mundane skills like your guess suggests, it'd still be more than worth learning if it presents a shortcut to learning those. Your suspicion, possibly unfounded, possibly not, is that you learned a framework, a foundation for something greater, when you defeated that lunatic on Warship Island.
It's a moot point. Despite your best efforts and theorizing, you don't come any closer to actually figuring out how Unknown Kunoichi's almost-certainly-supernatural technique worked. There's the usual feeling like you've gotten a bit closer to a breakthrough, but haven't quite reached it yet, and in the case of whatever UK was doing, it's almost certain to be harder than you'd like.
Location: Brockton Bay, New Hampshire, United States of America, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Earth-Bet, Parahumans Multiverse, Parahumans-jcw3
Date: Friday, January 24, 2011
You transition home after letting Luffy know you're leaving, ready to check your Prima inbox for a message from New Wave, and then maybe wait around for Dad to get back. You're pleasantly surprised by a notification from them.
Yes, we saw your debut on the local news not too long ago! We'd love the chance to meet and discuss some plans for the future. Lady Photon and I will be in the downtown area tonight - would you be comfortable meeting at the Richford Tower, eighth floor, around 7:30? The receptionist will be expecting you - no need to worry about that. - Brandish, New Wave
You send a quick message to her letting you know that that would work perfectly for you, before letting out a breath you hadn't realized you'd been holding. Some good news on that front. You try to distract yourself. Is Dad home just yet? You've been assuming not, but - you listen for sounds from downstairs - yes! He is. In the kitchen. It's about dinner time anyway!
You're too naturally stealthy for him to notice you coming down the stairs, and he's distracted anyway, so when you do emerge into the kitchen, he's caught a bit off guard. "Taylor!" he exclaims, leaning back in surprise. "You're- you're really alright!"
Ouch. "Yeah. I'm.. sorry I made you worry."
"It-" he shakes his head. "I don't even know where to begin with how I've been feeling the past few days on that front. But that's besides the point. Are you alright?"
You nod. "It's getting better. The First Stretch was really scary at first, but we're getting used to it. I'm a better bosun than when we started, and only improving"
He gives you a funny look, a goofy, too-wide smile on his face. "You're a bosun?"
You frown. "Yeah. Why?"
He adjusts a dial on the stove. "Just not what I expected since I heard my daughter got superpowers, that she'd wind up a bosun, of all things. But I've been having thoughts along those lines ever since you told me about Headway."
You take that in. "I… I'm sorry that I've been worrying you. I know we've talked about this before, but… I feel the need to say it."
He makes an expression that's somewhere between a grimace and a soft smile. "No helping it. You're growing up. I just wish it wasn't happening so damn fast, or in such a damn weird way." He gives you a belated hug, which you return. "Want some dinner? I'm no super cook, but I can try my best."
"That would be great," you beam at him. "I missed you."
Dad reaches over and ruffles your hair. "Come on. I'll need your help to make dinner. You can catch me up on things while we work."
It's nice. Dad's almost a bit disappointed to hear you asking about mundane things at work, and partway through, you realize why. It's depressing. Sixty jobs available, eighty guys in need of work. Shifting things around, cold calling employers, never getting enough done. You aren't sure what you can do about that as you are now, not without overexposing yourself and probably endangering yourself and Dad, but it's unlikely that you'll ever stop thinking about it.
His mood is both raised and worsened when you start telling him about the First Stretch. There's a certain fantastical whimsy attached to the idea of moving coral, for instance, and he gawks at your sample, but then you can tell he starts to absorb the fact that this creature - more of a collective of alike creatures, really - the size of a football field wanted to eat you, your crew, and your ship.
And that's to say nothing of the 'normal' climatic hazards, whatever role Baroque Works will eventually play, and… well. You'd be worried in his shoes, too. All you can do is give him proof that you're rising to the occasion.
"I told you I'm meeting New Wave this evening, right?"
He practically chokes on his tea. "Are you serious?!"
You smile. "Yeah. I reached out to them on Prima earlier."
He stares at his empty plate. The two of you have been talking for a while. It's only about forty-five minutes until your rendezvous with Brandish and Lady Photon. "Well… good luck, I guess?" Dad chuckles nervously. "There's so much going on in your life that I no longer have a framework for. That meeting's just one of them."
You wish you knew what to say to that. "I love you. And I'm glad I can come home and… just have somewhere to relax."
His expression changes, and he takes a moment to respond. "Yeah. I'm glad about that, too." He purses his lips as he thinks. "I love you, Taylor. Please stay safe."
"I will," you say, in what you hope is a convincing tone of voice.
–
You take a shearwater form and make your way over to the Richford Tower, around ten minutes early for your 7:30 appointment with New Wave. Finding a secluded spot with no cameras or watchful eyes, you instantaneously take human form, having already changed into your Factota outfit.
A few people on the street give you looks, one enterprising woman snaps a picture of you with her phone, and you give a polite wave, before entering the building. Sure enough, the receptionist recognizes you, and walks you to a hidden elevator away from the Richford lobby. Thankfully, since people were staring, and you were starting to feel a bit self-conscious.
The elevator leads you to the eighth floor, and you thank the clerk before you stride forward into a hallway. You find a small conference room overlooking the business district, not at the highest level of the city skyline, but high enough that you feel a bit intimidated. You've been at the top of Brockton Bay's taller buildings before, tourist attractions your parents brought you to when you were very young, or places you went with Emma and her family, but this is an entirely different context.
Your trepidation about the meeting is strong enough that, despite your early arrival, you move slowly enough only make it to the conference room right as Lady Photon and Brandish arrive. They give you a wave and a professional smile respectively.
Brandish stretches out a hand towards you. She's pretty. All of New Wave look almost like TV actors, carefully manicured appearances, skillfully applied makeup whenever they expect to make public appearances - even for the guys in some cases.
Her costume is a white bodysuit with a central orange logo, decorative lines of the same material extending out over the outfit. Her blonde hair is cut short, and split down the middle, a perfect symmetrical functional hardo. You meet her eyes through your own mask, hers an almost bug-like hybrid between a visor and sunglasses.
You return the handshake, trying to maintain a firm enough grip to stay respectable, while also not being rude and crushing her hand. "Brandish. A pleasure to meet you."
Mask hiding your face, you bow your head respectfully, before raising it. "Factota. Likewise."
Lady Photon is next. Like Brandish's, her costume is a white bodysuit with a central logo - a purple starburst - with lines of the same color extending from it. Her hair is parted to the side, and if you were forced to look quickly at the two of their faces and differentiate them, that might be the only way you could have done it. Lipstick a similar shade, hair color the same, costumes are a close fit.
Brandish gestures towards the conference room, and you all take a seat around a table meant for six, the New Wavers sitting next to each other on one side, and you across from them. "Well, I suppose I should start by saying - I love your costume," Lady Photon smiles.
Her sister does the same. "My daughter was gushing about it when she saw the news report," Brandish remarks. Either Panacea or Glory Girl loves your costume? That's… wow. "She has a school project right now, otherwise she might have come to this meeting."
You bow your head again. "Thank you! I made it with my power. I was hoping to go for a look that appeared heroic, but outside of the establishment or any corporate teams." The word you were thinking at the time was 'renegade', but you aren't sure you want to use that specific word when trying to make yourself seem heroic.
Brandish gives a teasing smile. "Yes, you wouldn't want to look like any of those shady corporate teams."
"Who knows what skeletons they have in their closet," Lady Photon adds lightly.
Oh no. Your face burns. "I… that's not-"
"I know, dear. We're just teasing."
"I'll admit I could have phrased that a bit better," you say, raising your hands in submission, cringing inwardly.
Brandish waves it off. "Nothing to apologize for. Now, you said you made that with your power?"
"Yes. I'd like to keep some things close to the vest, if you don't mind, but the simple version of it - I learn skills fast, and I eventually get them 'leveled'-" you do air quotes, "-to superhuman levels. So, I studied sewing and fashion to get to a point where I could casually make a costume like this, even out of substandard materials."
"That's an ability almost tailor-made for being a rogue." You're embarrassed to say - you thought Lady Photon was saying your name for a moment there, and had a brief moment of panic.
"There are a lot of financial possibilities with that power," Brandish agrees. "It's noble that your conclusion when you got your powers was to use that power selflessly."
"Thank you," you say, meaning it. New Wave has been a fixture of Brockton Bay as long as you've been aware of the concept of capes. Receiving compliments like this from New Wave… you feel good. It makes you want to prove yourself worthy of that trust.
"So the question now," Brandish says, "Is where you want to begin with your heroic career. New Wave, of course, isn't recruiting, but we are absolutely open to partnerships, cooperation and collaboration with local heroes. It's part of why we got back to you so quickly. It's critical that we stay on the same page with our allies when it comes to what we do."
You nod wordlessly, trying to take in what she's saying. "Do you have a plan of attack for your hero career? Pardon my saying this, I don't mean to be rude, but as far as I can tell, you've only been preparing for it thus far. How will you get started?"
"I was planning to start small-ish," you reply. "I've got superhuman skill in training my body, and that means I have, essentially, a low-level Brute-Mover rating. Some martial arts mastery, stealth training, that sort of thing. I've made some good progress across the board in that kind of general training. Enough that I'm comfortable going after some of the minor gangs."
The mood in the room becomes a bit more serious. "Who were you thinking?" Brandish asks.
"The Crook Club and the Merchants. I'm unsure as to which is an easier target, and wanted to do some more research, get my investigative 'skills'-" air quotes again, "-up before I went after them in earnest."
Lady Photon glances over at Brandish, who hasn't looked away from you. "Well. That might be a problem," Brandish says. "The Crook Club are gone from town."
What? "Really? I knew they were under pressure from the Empire, but I thought that had died down?"
Brandish shakes her head. "It's a moot point now, but I can give you a general description of the situation, if you're interested."
Well, that's not what you were expecting to hear. You nod. Might as well try to get something out of this. "Yes, please."
"This all started when the Crook Club accidentally did a job against an Empire front. Empire retaliated with a few scuffles in the street, and Bezzy - their real leader, the individual-negotiations thinker, tried to make a deal with Kaiser, to pay back the money stolen and make amends for the damages. He accepted at first, but reneged on the deal several weeks later. There were some sporadic battles between the Club and the Empire, where the Club was initially able to escape and regroup, but Kaiser was eventually able to attack in force.
Bezzy is dead. Kaiser killed her personally. Tommy Gun, maimed, by either Hookwolf, Fenja or Menja, maybe a mix of the three. We aren't sure - he was in a pretty bad state when the Protectorate arrived on the scene, and I'm mostly basing this off of their report. Enforcer was pretty badly hurt, too. They're both in a secure hospital for villain arrestees somewhere. Cardinal and Enterprise fled the city, to parts unknown."
"I… wasn't aware of that."
"The PRT prefers gang wars like that stay hidden. The more attentive cape observers might have noticed some Protectorate activity and loud noises in that area a few weeks ago, but it's not in the PRT's interests for the public to be able to pay too much attention to how bad things really are, in spite of their and our best efforts."
You look off into the distance. "Depressing."
"Yes," Brandish agrees. "But that's what we're here for, isn't it? To be the lights in the darkness."
"Your idea of going after the Merchants is sound," Lady Photon says. "They're slippery, and they aren't as obvious a problem as Lung, Coil, or the Empire. They tend to keep out of the spotlight, their crimes nuisance-level. Relatively speaking, of course."
"Relatively speaking," Brandish nods. "We have a few general areas where we know the Merchants tend to operate. Baerck, Cammell, Boar Avenue. We don't often fight them - the larger gangs of the city tend to draw our focus when we see them."
The matriarch of the Dallon branch reaches over to a small yellow notepad on the table and scrawls down a list of streets and addresses, then tearing a sheet off and handing it to you. "Here. The PRT and Protectorate don't often patrol these areas, but these are areas where we've noticed suspicious activity on our fly-bys. Some of them could be nothing, but some could lead you down the right path."
"Thank you!" you say, with a bit more enthusiasm than you expected. "This is great to have, really!"
Brandish smiles. "Think nothing of it. We'll have to circle back in a few weeks, exchange notes. Hopefully after you get a nice headline about the arrests of some of the Merchants."
"I wish I had more information to repay you with." You worry that telling them about the warehouse on Baerck where you saw Skidmark meeting with his dealers will see yourself receiving criticism for breaking the unwritten rules, even if you did it unintentionally. New Wave was theoretically founded against the principles of secret identities, but… it's probably a whole can of worms to bring up in any case. "If you'd like, in the future, I can help you with costume repair, design. I'm working on raising my teaching 'skill', I might be able to teach things like first aid, hand to hand, stuff like that."
Their expressions grow a bit more strained. "Now… Factota, I'm sorry to bring this up, and I hope it doesn't sound accusatory, but are you registered with the PRT?"
"Um-" you start, hating yourself as soon as the filler leaves your mouth. The question caught you off guard. "Not yet. I've been putting it off. I don't… bureaucracy and I have a bad past," you say, and it sounds like a lame excuse, even as it's close to the truth. You hate this. You feel so out of place and amateurish.
"I don't mean to poke at any wounds here. But," Brandish grimaces. "Here's the thing. Have you heard of Teacher?"
You stare at her. "Yes. He's a villain. In the Birdcage," you say, and your defensiveness must be obvious in your tone, because Brandish holds up her hands as if to ward off your anger.
"I don't mean to insult you or call you a villain. But here's the problem that happened with Teacher. He initially presented himself as a rogue, a cape who wasn't necessarily a hero or villain, and would sell his services to both sides. He had a successful business… until it was revealed that he was mind-controlling his customers. That the so-called 'Taught' were actually his thralls. I don't mean to be blunt, or hostile, but any parahuman out there has reason to be suspicious of a thinker who claims to be able to Teach skills."
What the fuck? How? That… that's such an unfair comparison to make! You're just really good at teaching! That's all!
You shift uncomfortably in your seat, stewing in that thought, the instinctive anger at being compared to Teacher, of all fucking people, before you eventually speak up. The mask hides your features, but you're almost worried your body language will give you away.
"I… I understand your concern. I hadn't made the connection between my abilities and Teacher's, myself."
"That's understandable. He hasn't been in the public eye for a long time. It's reasonable that he might not come to mind. But there are a lot of things capes have to keep an eye out for. If you register with the PRT, if you submit to power testing and their scientists confirm that everything there is above board, no mind control or enthralling effects - we would love to have you training us. It would save a lot of time, it would make our lives more convenient."
Brandish continues. "We just can't take the risk of your powers working similarly to Teacher's. Even if you have only good intentions, you're, I presume, a newer cape, and don't really know the full extent of how your power works. Frequently, things like this take time to show themselves."
You meet her eyes again. "I'll try to make time to start that process. I… I really do want to help, in any way I can. I want to get out there and start making the world a better place."
"The world would be better off if more people thought like you," Brandish says.
Lady Photon interjects. "I know my sister can be a bit cautious, and, well, I love you, Carol, but… intense-"
"I am not," Brandish retorts, but there's a smile on her face.
"-but I really hope that this doesn't dishearten you. We aren't saying you're a villain, or that we won't work with you. I'm with my sister on this - we just can't risk exposing our family to those kinds of powers without being reasonably certain that it's safe."
Reasonably certain? Well. There's no one hundred percent sure with parahuman powers.
"Thank you," you say. This meeting feels like it's run its course, you doubt they wanted a long meeting anyway. You stand. "I will reach out in the future. My goal is to begin investigative work against the Merchants in… shortly," you say. With all of your projects and responsibilities, you don't feel comfortable giving an exact date, but that doesn't help with your feeling unhappy about being unable to give them a concrete time.
The two of them also stand. "I wish you nothing but the best of luck," Brandish says. "Do you mind if I have that paper back, just for a second?"
You hand her the yellow notepad paper, and she writes down a string of numbers. "This is a specialized phone number we use. If you're ever in a catastrophic situation, or you see a situation where you feel like you could use some help, call this number. I can't guarantee that we'll be there any faster than the PRT or the Protectorate, but we'll do our best to get to you."
"Thank you," you say, not for the first time in the evening. You almost feel like a charity case they're keeping at arms length. That Teacher comparison… you're going to try not to dwell on that. You can't help but feeling resentful about it.
The three of you exchange goodbyes, and you head home, saying good night to Dad, before transitioning back to Mayim and spending the night. No catastrophes while you were gone, thank God.
Location: First Stretch, Paradise, Grand Line, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Earth-Mayim, One Piece Multiverse, One Piece-jcw3
Date: Friday, May 27, 1532
At least you don't wake up to the sound of explosions this morning. By Straw Hat standards, it could be a boring day.
Chores go as usual - you and Usopp manage to make the most of the new tools and lumberware. 'This is so cool!' is a very worrying thing to hear a teenage boy say about an electric saw. You're terrified Usopp is going to accidentally cut off his own nose or something.
"No, I mean it, Taylor, this is great! You know how many days I spent before you joined with my arms all sore from that freaking saw?" he giggles boyishly and pats the side of the saw affectionately. "This is a lifechanger!"
You smile. "I'm glad you're happy with it. Feeling any more confident about your carpentry with that?"
He fondly strokes the power tool - alright, it's getting more than a little weird now. "Absolutely! Thanks again for showing me those tricks, and how to use this thing. That wood filler stuff is way more convenient than oakum."
"Anytime. Headway appreciated it, to-"
There's a rumble in the distance. The ocean ascends in a way they don't normally, even during the worst Grand Line storms, and it's clear skies now. There's a uniformity to it that terrifies you. It takes you less than a second to draw the connection. "Monster!" you shout, at the top of your lungs, bear vocal cords letting your voice carry further, even into the depths of the ship. Usopp whimpers a little, clutching the rechargeable saw and clumsily pressing the ON button.
Zoro's the first one you spot rising to the occasion, but Sanji and Luffy aren't far behind. "Do you see it, Taylor-chan?" Sanji asks. You're relieved they trust you immediately, but now you're worried you were wrong about it.
"That wave-" you begin, but Zoro cuts you off.
"It was one change. One motion. Massive, a kilometer wide as far as I can tell," he looks out at the ocean warily. He's right. Rude, but right.
Sanji cautions a glance over the railing, while Luffy leans back, looking inappropriately bored. "I can't see anything. Water's too dark."
"Means it's either a really big Sea King way down below or a smaller Sea King close to the surface," Zoro agrees, the two of them on the same page for once.
Right after the Merry returns to a regular sea level, the wave receding almost calmly, the five of you lose your balance abruptly as another wave hits, this one bigger than the last, originating from a different spot to the west. Putting on your best boatswain voice, you yell out "Emergency positions!"
The crew follows your command, taking to the sails. Nami and Miss Wednesday finally burst out from the women's room, glancing in every direction as they try to catch up on the situation. Mr. 9 emerges from the storeroom, looking in your direction. "What's going on? Are we under attack?"
"There's a mystery monster!" Luffy calls out.
"Oh, that's helpful!"
Let's see… it came from there, and then changed over to there - "Hard starboard!" you call out, as you realize what's about to happen. Just as the Merry starts picking up wind, another wave hits, bigger, heavier than the last, reinforcing and overtaking the second wave. It catches the ship in its grasp, and lurches it to the side, almost tipping it over all the way. Almost everyone loses their balance or at least their grip.
Usopp, who still has the fucking saw going, yelps as he flies towards you, clumsily dropping the saw as it launches in your direction! You catch it and press the power button in one deft motion, before grabbing him by the back of his suspenders, and from the yelp, you realize you accidentally tightened them a bit hard.
You can apologize later, because for now Nami and Miss Wednesday are clinging to the railing! Giant albatross form taken, you swoop down and grab the both of them in your talons, abruptly shifting a terrified Usopp to your back, and as you do, the ship rights itself and the wave passes.
Dropping the three of them off, you stand by while a few more minutes pass and no waves come. That's it. A gigafauna beneath the waves, just passing by in the course of its regular life, probably just bobbing up and down casually, and it nearly killed three people. Anticlimactic and unnerving all in one, that there are creatures that can kill you accidentally, without having even seen you or your having offended them.
You allow yourself a chance to rest, and the rest of the Merry's passengers take that as an invitation to relax themselves. The saw, to your relief, did not fall overboard after you just bought it yesterday, and you hand it back to Usopp with a warning, before letting him know you're going to your homeworld for a while. Seeking out a spot you've secured in the storeroom for this very purpose, you change worlds.
Location: Brockton Bay, New Hampshire, United States of America, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Earth-Bet, Parahumans Multiverse, Parahumans-jcw3
Date: Saturday, January 25, 2011
New Hampshire requires those under sixteen aspiring for a driver's license to take a tedious, time-consuming online course that slowly and methodically goes over every possibility they may face on the road. It's optional if you're over sixteen and have a hundred hours of driving experience signed by multiple adults, or if you're eighteen, but for you, you'll likely have to pass this course to be able to sit for the test in June when you're sixteen.
It's the mundane skill of mundane skills, but it's the sort of thing that could come in handy. The course isn't what you would describe as difficult, but it is annoying. It feels like a waste of your time, busywork designed by some bureaucraft just to tick boxes, and you're frustrated the entire time.
You're sitting through videos that you sometimes can't speed up (you can do that for ninety percent of them, but for some reason, maybe one in ten won't let you). The interface is outdated, sometimes links don't work, you have to click to the right of a button to advance rather than on the button itself - like you said. Annoying.
The whole experience sucks, but the information itself is valid, and Headway seems to find it an easy skill to work with. In about an hour and a half of studying, you manage to reach the level of a typical fifteen year-old who's spent maybe thirty hours on the road, without having ever been behind the wheel. That, in and of itself, is almost good enough to pass the exam in June, but you still have to finish the stupid course before you can do that. You could probably finish the entire thing tomorrow if you put your mind to it.
Whatever. You're tired of looking at the state's interface. You've been meaning to study engineering a bit more - it could act as a springboard for understanding tinkertech from Bet and Mahon. If it was so easy to understand tinkertech by being a good engineer, the world would look a lot different, but you can't imagine it would hurt, and having this skill is inherently a good thing.
You're sure Headway would agree with your decision, but unfortunately, the online videos and courses you're reviewing don't sink in all that well, and you don't feel like you've hit any sort of milestone. Progress made, certainly, but not capital-p progress.
A bit let down, you-
Location: First Stretch, Paradise, Grand Line, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, Earth-Mayim, One Piece Multiverse, One Piece-jcw3
Date: Friday, May 27, 1532
-return to Mayim. Even from the storeroom, buried underneath wood and a tarp behind some barrels, you can hear a blizzard pummeling the Merry. "Fuck," you swear under your breath.
Rushing upstairs, you arrive in the midst of one of the worst snowstorms you've ever experienced. You count your blessings that the sea didn't have time to freeze or develop an icy layer, and that you 'only' have to deal with the heavy snow pounding the caravel.
"Shovel!" you shout at Mr. 9, who's panickedly shoveling snow overboard. A look of relief on his face, he tosses the shovel your way, and, using more martial arts training than you'd expect, start clearing the deck expeditiously. Sanji had a similar idea to you, you can tell - he's just kicking it overboard. Luffy scoops it up with rubber limbs that can cover a third of the ship in mere moments. Zoro is asleep. Somehow.
The snowfall begins to dampen, and after a very hectic half-hour (longer for the rest of the Straw Hats, you imagine), you finally see an end to the blizzard. Phew. Even with your Cold Resistance, you're chilly- and right as you think that, you no longer are. Another growth in Cold Resistance, making you as resistant to the cold as it's possible for a human to be.
"Where the hell were you?" Mr. 9 demands, eyes wide.
You give him a quick glance as you scrape off the railing. "Sorry. Was asleep in the storeroom. It's my happy place."
"You-" he makes a frustrated verbalization, before grumbling and walking away. You take a minute to rest against the railing next to Zoro, absent-mindedly brushing some accumulated snow off of the swordsman's head. He opens one eye and gives you an annoyed look, and you snort.
You stretch a bit as you rise from your relaxation, spotting Miss Wednesday working on the crew's laundry out on the deck. From the looks of it, just getting started, thankfully. Yeah, that… you've been putting this off for a while too long. You think for a while, and make a beeline for the women's room.
Nami's cross-referencing some of her notes with one of the books from the shelf when you enter the room and shut the door behind you. Her eyes flicker over to you, and she leans back in her chair, accepting the opportunity for a reprieve.
You start the conversation with some small talk. "Should I be worried about the weather playing games with us?"
She starts to shake her head, but then seemingly thinks better of it. "Ah… well, I don't think it's as much of a concern as when we started on the Grand Line. But I wouldn't want you to disappear for days, if that's what you're asking."
You smile. "Don't plan to leave entirely. Just maybe half a day from now on, sometimes a bit more."
That could still be life or death for the Straw Hats as they are now, but your default will be to train on the Merry if it's an option. It'll have to do. Regardless, you'll be supporting them as much as you're capable. "That's a relief," she says, dog-earing the page she's on before closing the book. "You have a serious look on your face. Is something wrong? Yest-"
"It's not that," you reply, maybe a bit too quickly. "Really," you insist, when she looks skeptical. "It's about Miss Wednesday."
Nami grimaces. "I've told her about her the snoring probl-"
"Not that. It's… something else. I kind of talked to Luffy about it back at Twin Cape, but I didn't tell him the full story because of how I know."
She lets out a little exhalation. "The comic?" she says quietly.
"To an extent. I've found some evidence here, on Mayim, and I really do think it's importa-"
She raises a hand. "Stop acting like you have to be nervous around me," she sighs, saying it gently but firmly.
You look down, mustering the willpower to not instinctively say 'sorry'. "It's the kind of thing that would put the crew at risk, but I think we're already sort at risk. From Baroque Works, I mean."
Nami makes a face. "That ninja girl. Our houseguests."
"Yeah. I have more details about Miss Wednesday, in particular. Details that might impact the whole crew. I'd talk to Luffy about it, but it… it involves more spoilers than I'd be comfortable bringing up with him."
She thinks for a moment. "I'd suggest we talk to Sanji, but he's got a freaky blindspot when it comes to women. Do you know where Zoro is?"
Sleeping against the railing on the deck. Where else? You almost literally drag the uncomfortable, protesting swordsman to the women's room - apparently 'we need to talk in private' is unclear to him - but thankfully neither Mr. 9 or Miss Wednesday seem to care. Both are inured to the Straw Hats' antics by now.
"Hey, you!" he says to Nami, a bit more loudly than you'd like. "What's the big idea? Using her as your errand girl to fetch me-"
"It's important, Zoro," she says, cutting him off. "Remember the spoilers chat? On Twin Cape?"
There's something about the way she says that implies that the Straw Hats discussed that conversation when you weren't around. You could take a week and not be able to describe the ways the thought of that makes you feel, or why it makes you feel those ways.
"...oh." His almost frothing annoyance recedes, and he gives you a thoughtful look. You meet it. "Something big?"
"Mmhmm. Our captain forbade spoilers. He doesn't want the comic deciding our course towards Raftel. I get that. But this is important to me." You hate feeling like this. Every word spews out - you want to put intent into it, but there's that niggling thought - will this be what alienates them? Will this be what makes them see you in a different light? You do your best to silence those thoughts.
Zoro and Nami are silent, so you let it out. "Miss Wednesday's real name is Vivi Nefertari. She's the princess of Alabasta."
Nami's eyes boggle, while Zoro just lets out a low whistle. "Where's Alabasta?" Zoro asks.
Are they serious? Huh. You think they are. "Big country in the Grand Line. Their princess went missing a while back, she looks suspiciously similar to Miss Wednesday, to the point where I'm wondering how she even managed to infiltrate at all. One of my skills - World Events - it lets me know these things about the royals of the more prominent countries in the world. And this isn't just my theory - there was a reveal in the comic along those lines, too." You let them absorb that, heart pounding just a bit. "And so far, the comic's been pretty close."
"How's this our problem?" Zoro replies. "Some spoiled royal gets bored going to balls or whatnot, decides it'd be fun to become a bounty hunter. You said this was something that was putting us in danger."
"Getting to that," you say, again, a bit too quickly for your liking. "Baroque Works - their boss, Mr. 0, he's aiming to create some sort of utopia. We've all met people from Baroque Works, I think we can all agree that their idea of a utopia would be really, really shitty. They're going to do something to Alabasta. The ninja that attacked you and me-" you gesture towards Nami, "-she mentioned that Baroque Works was going to be operating in a desert climate. Alabasta is a desert country."
You continue. "Mr. 0's going to attack Alabasta. At some point in the near future, most likely. They know that Miss Wednesday is Princess Vivi, and that her bodyguard has also infiltrated them. I only know that because of the manga, but I'd bet almost anything-" you try to ignore Nami perking up at that, "-that they know that in real life, too."
"I want to fight Baroque Works. They're bad people, they're trying to make the world a worse place. I, um, I know that this is a lot to ask the crew to agree to - Miss Wednesday, Vivi, she's a stranger." You look at your crewmates, hoping you don't look as desperate as you feel, getting all of this out.
"They're almost guaranteed to be a challenge, Zoro. We've only met the weaker ones so far, but the ninja that attacked me told me they control several routes. You don't control bits of Paradise if you aren't strong in at least some respects." Nami now. "And obviously a Princess would pay us a lot of money if we saved her kingdom."
Zoro and Nami exchange a stare, both with hard looks on their face. Oh no. Come on. Please. "I-"
Zoro holds up his hand. "You're forgetting something."
Your heart sinks. "W-what am I forgetting?" Fuck. You stuttered. You actually stuttered.
He doesn't break eye contact. "You're a member of the Straw Hat pirates, and Baroque Works attacked you. This conwoman-" Nami looks bizarrely happy at that compliment, "-was attacked too, for whatever that's worth." Not happy anymore, she gives him an annoyed look. "Baroque Works fucked with us. Luffy's not the sort to brood over vengeance, and I doubt he's said anything outright about it… but their fate was sealed the minute that lousy ninja tried to kill you."
…oh. "I didn't… I didn't think… or know about that."
"You don't value yourself enough, Taylor," Nami sighs. She stares at the walls of the women's room. "The fact that you didn't even think to mention that one of Baroque Works literally tried to kill you- agh."
You… didn't think of that. It almost feels like it would have been selfish, to ask your teammates to take revenge on your behalf. "That's not why I want to stop them, though," you say, under your breath.
Zoro lets out a little laugh. "'To be a Hero'. So that's what it looks like."
Your face burns. "Bringing that up?"
"It's not an insult," he says, leaning back against the wall, a smile resting on his face. "It's good."
The three of you are silent for a moment. "So what now?" you ask. "I was thinking… maybe we could prime her? Tell her about what the Straw Hats have done? Stopping Don Krieg? The Trump Siblings? Kuro?" You try to be tasteful and not mention Arlong. You don't see any changes on Nami's face, so maybe you were successful.
Nami snorts. "Taylor, I love you, but you are not nearly subtle enough to succeed at that."
Wow, your face is really on fire. Does this count as Kachi Kachi training? It really should. Zoro shakes his head. "You're too earnest. If you go to dinner and start talking about heroic deeds or whatnot, she's going to suspect something's up the minute you open your mouth. You need a heartless manipulative harpy to pull something like that off." He gestures at Nami, who takes that comment a lot more in stride than you might have in her shoes.
You grimace. "I'd rather not manipulate her."
Nami's smile is… a bit worrying. "Taylor. We would never manipulate her. I'll tell you what. You, me, Zoro, her Majesty… before bed, we'll talk about this like adults, come to an agreement. Discuss payment terms, things like that."
Paym-? Zoro interrupts your train of thought. "Leave me out of this. I don't want to be your muscle in the background. You two can have your girl talk with Miss Wednesday on your own. When we need to fight these strong guys, then you'll need my help."
He leaves, and Nami turns to you. "It's almost time for dinner. Just act normal for now, and then when the three of us are ready for night rest, we'll have a conversation."
–
"Okay, what's up with you?" Miss Wednesday demands of you the moment the three of you are alone. "You were sneaking me glances all dinner! I don't swing that way, especially not for pirates!"
Nami sighs. What? You blink. "That's not-"
The navigatrix raises a hand, and you stop talking. Miss Wednesday gives you an incredulous look. "You're worth fourteen million beri, and you shut up when the navigator says so?"
To her credit, Nami doesn't betray any sign of annoyance at that. You reply, tersely, on her behalf, "She's my friend. And she's offering good advice. I was about to get sidetracked."
The bluenette - seriously, that's a very striking, distracting color scheme, and the fact that it's entirely natural makes you oddly fascinated - gives you an almost performatively studious look, as if she was trying to make herself above it all, smug, unaffected. "Sidetracked from what?"
"I think you need our help," you say. "And I think you know why."
The smugness fades almost instantly. "Explain," she says, shortly, testily, staring you down.
"I was scouted by Baroque Works a few weeks ago," you explain. "Ninja woman. I don't know her name."
"Nezu. She's a creep. We're… acquainted," Vivi says, distastefully. Ah. You can finally stop calling her Unknown Kunoichi.
"That was the impression I got from her too," you agree. Nami nods. "So, anyway. She was scouting me. She said because of my Devil Fruit and my achievements in the East Blue, I'd be a candidate for a frontier agent position."
"Your first bounty was fourteen million beri. I'm not surprised. She didn't know you were actually a pirate." She's trying to take control of the conversation back, present an image of strength. She's mentioned your bounty twice. You wonder if she's been using your crew's bounties as a psychological anchor of sorts.
"She said that since I was going to have a high rank anyway, that I should know that I'd be doing a lot of work in a 'desert climate'." Vivi's face falls. "'Nezu' mentioned a Boss, but she didn't say much else about him. I didn't think much of this at the time, but I pay attention to world events. I know about the important royal families, and when they go missing. Especially when you take a look back at previous editions of the newspaper, and notice from interviews that the royal guard captain has stepped away as well."
Vivi stares at you, mouth parted. "What are you trying to say?" she says, taking a step back.
Do you have her? You can't tell, but you're damn sure going to try. "Your kingdom is in trouble, Princess Vivi." An intake of breath. "Baroque Works is targeting it, and we both know they don't have good intentions. I don't know what you were planning, joining them, but if Nezu's representative, they aren't good people. And I think if they have the chance, they'll hurt, even destroy your country, to get whatever it is they want."
"They've already come after us, and now that I've beaten Nezu, I don't think they're going to stop coming after us until we're all dead." You take a step forward, reaching out a hand. "I want to help you. I think you want help, because I think you know exactly what I'm talking about, exactly what Baroque Works is going to do to your country. And if I figured out what you're doing, your highness, I bet this Boss has too."
Vivi laughs weakly. "You just have everything all figured out, don't you, Escape Artist?"
"Taylor. It's Taylor."
Her lips quiver as she looks down. When she sees her hands, she lets out a full body shudder as she realizes they're shaking. Steeling herself, she looks back at you. It's a different look than the affected smugness from before. "Then I'm Vivi. Not, not around Mr. 9. Around him I'm still Miss Wednesday. I don't… Miss Wednesday. Let's stick with Miss Wednesday for now. I don't- gah. I really thought this would work."
You feel a surge of hope. "Does this mean-" she seizes up, and you stop short.
"Igaram," she says, weakly at first, but she steels herself again. "We- we have to go to Whiskey Peak. He might be in danger."
Nami pipes up. "Who's Igaram? The guard captain?" You're glad she was the one to ask there. She actually doesn't know, unlike you.
She looks reluctant, but the cat's out of the bag now. "My bodyguard. He's stationed at Whiskey Peak. On Cactus Island. It's our - Baroque Works' - village. Mr. 9 and I were going to bring the whale's meat back there as provisions."
You wonder how that would even work, logistically. There can't be a ship in the world big enough to haul all of it, and you don't remember them having a substantial seafaring craft- not the important thing right now.
Nami begins to take over the conversation. "We don't have a log pose for Cactus. Only Foolshout."
Vivi looks crestfallen. "Then-"
"The Den Den Mushi? Can we get out a warning?" you interject. You stole it from the Marines who attacked you at Reverse Mountain, and haven't used it since.
The princess's eyes widen. "Yes - Igaram and I have a private snail on Whiskey Peak. I can call and warn him ahead of time. Please - let me-"
"Yes, of course-" you begin, idly realizing you don't even know how to 'operate' a Den Den Mushi, but Nami interrupts you.
"That's a Marine snail. How do we know the Eighth Branch won't just be listening to your call, taking notes, triangulating our location?"
Vivi shakes her head, almost tiredly explaining. "Baroque Works uses modified Marine Den Den Mushi as part of its day to day business. Mr. 0 is tied to the World Government. All he has to do is make the snails 'sing' a little bit differently, and… no problems. Maybe if the Marines were insanely lucky, if they had black snails monitoring every possible frequency and having a team filter through it, they'd pick it up. It's unlikely. You'd wind up picking up so much junk, that you'd have to have an absolute fanatic of a Marine commander in the right place at the right time, with the right team recording it."
Smoker's pretty fanatical. Apparently the same thought occurred to Nami. "Well, we've got one of those real workaholics coming after us. Captain Smoker, ever heard of him?" She asks.
Vivi lets out a gagging noise. "Captain Smoker! From Loguetown! A-are you serious? And… you've encountered him?"
"Escaped twice," you reply. "We aren't pushovers, Vivi."
"Right. Right. Of course." She mutters out those replies under her breath, before looking over at Nami. "In that case, Miss Nami, could you please allow me the use of your snail?"
Nami gives her a hard look, and a very, very brief look of exasperation in your general direction. "Good grief. If Taylor's wrong to trust you, and you try to call in an attack on us, you'll regret it, you know that, right? And we'll need to discuss snailular rates afterwards."
Vivi laughs, giving Nami a side eye. "Miss Taylor's made it clear to me that there's a far scarier guy than you or even Captain Smoker coming after me, and probably Igaram."
Who? You don't answer before Vivi starts massaging one of the snail's eyestalks in a certain way, before fiddling with the wires, and only then beginning to turn the dial. The snail's worryingly humanlike lips let out a dry, monotone 'pu-ru-pu-ru-pu-ru' dial tone as the call begins to go through.
"I've gotta wait eight rings to leave a message," she explains. "It's unlikely he's availab-"
The call is answered at the third ring. She freezes up in worry. "I was wondering when you get around to calling-" A deep male voice, almost mocking. "-Princess Vivi."
That's… you don't think that's- Vivi lets out a quiet 'oh no', almost dropping the communicator in panic. You reach over to help her, but she manages to clumsily grab hold of it again, pressing a button on the side. "M-Mr. 5? Who's Princess Vivi?"
Fuck. You remember him. He can pull off pieces of his body to generate bioorganic explosions. His partner's codenamed Miss Valentine. A woman with a limited personal gravity effect, changing between one and ten thousand kilograms, if you remember right.
In the comic, he and his partner were sent to kill Miss Wednesday and Mr. 8 after their status as spies was discovered, independently of the Straw Hats' arrival at Whiskey Peak. Fuck. You didn't consider that.
The man on the other end of the line snickers. "You're still trying that, after your cover got blown wide open? Royals really are too stubborn for their own good."
Anger's spreading on Vivi's face, overtaking concern. "What happened to M- the person that normally answers this line?"
"Oh, don't worry, your majesty. Guard Captain Igaram's alive. So's that duck of yours, in case you were wondering."
You share a glance with Nami. This isn't good in the slightest.
"W-what will you do with them?"
"Like I said, Princess. No need to worry. They'll be heading home soon, along with you. Only a little singed. I'd like to let Igaram say hello, but, well, he's not feeling up to the task right now. You understand." You find yourself clenching your fist in impotent fury, and it's not even your… what is Igaram to Vivi? Uncle-figure? Father-figure? Friend?... your family and pet being threatened. You can't imagine how Vivi feels at the sheer unfairness of the situation.
"You're with the Straw Hat Pirates, right? I'm almost impressed, Princess. You managed to get your partner and some backseas pirates to follow you down the path of getting shishkebabed and desiccated."
Nami exhales almost silently through her teeth. If you didn't have a high Perception, you wouldn't have caught it.
"Not a decision I'd have made, but I don't have that same royal education as you, you see." He's monologuing. In real life. It'd be galling even if he weren't threatening your lives. "Is Straw Hat listening now, Princess?"
She doesn't respond. She looks shellshocked. Nami doesn't look especially interested in answering, and there's a moment of lingering silence… you decide to gently grab the communicator from Vivi's hands. She lets you supplant the take over, hands limp. "I'll have to do," you speak into the microphone, unable to conceal the anger in your voice.
"Oh?" Mr. 5 asks, curious. "I was expecting Straw Hat, not one of his women. Are you Escape Artist or the cute redhead?"
You hear a muffled 'hey!' from the snail-phone. Miss Valentine? His partner? Are they together? "Escape Artist."
"Ah, of course. You picked a bad time to sign up for piracy, bear girl. Could have been part of something truly great." The 'bear girl' line and that 'cute redhead' crack about Nami. He's showing off how much Baroque Works knows about the Straw Hats.
You glare daggers at the snail, which you belatedly realize has adapted some of Mr. 5's physical traits, a smug smile, half-closed eyes. That effect must be a two-way street. You school your features correspondingly, to project calm. "If it means I get to stop you bastards, I think I picked an alright time."
He lets out what sounds like an involuntary, disbelieving chuckle, and you hear a shrill, unpleasant 'kyahahaha!' from the snail. "You have no idea how fucking stupid you are, girl. We're going to burn your dinky little rowboat until it's nothing but ash. We're going to kill each and every one of you East Blue washout pirates. We're going to take your captain out to sea, slit his throat and take his Devil Fruit for our own. We're going to drag your princess to the ruins of Alubarna and force-feed her a stew made of her guard captain and her adorable little duck. We're going to burn her kingdom to the ground and build a utopia on its corpse. And, you audacious little bitch, we're going to do it all without you having even met the Boss."
Mr. 5 lets out a little scoff. "Unbelievable. You're probably too much of an idiot to even realize what an impossible war you just declared, Escape Artist."
You deliberately keep your expression steady. What more information can you get from him? How do you extend this conversation? It's not like with Nezu, where she was trying to get you on board, almost a captive audience in a way. Entirely different framework. "I bet all of the pirates we've beaten so far would have told us something similar, bounty hunter."
He chuckles again. "Sure, sure. Well. You'll have an opportunity to prove yourselves soon enough. The Unluckies say you're sailing towards Foolshout Island. We'll be waiting."
There's a clicking sound. The call ends. Disbelieving, you stare at the communicator. You've… have you been ever threatened so explicitly and so personally by someone so powerful? Vivi wordlessly presses that button on the side again, and the snail's lips let out a little dial tone.
Nami shakes the metaphorical cobwebs out of her head. "You recorded that?!"
Vivi sets her lips in a line. She speaks, and every word is forced, deliberate. "As soon as I realized it was Mr. 5 on the other snail. Figured you'd need something with which to convince your captain."
Nami sighs dramatically and sits down in her writing chair. She rests her face in her hands, rubbing her eyes stressfully. "Just how much should we be worried about Baroque Works, Vivi?"
The princess folds her arms. Even in the plain sailor clothes she's wearing, she affects a regal status, standing proud in spite of her fear and anger. You feel a certain admiration developing for her, keeping herself standing tall in the face of a threat like this. Vivi looks over at Nami. "This secret would get you killed under normal circumstances. But… you're already on Baroque Works' kill list."
"Mr. 0 is Crocodile. One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
You feel like you betrayed your principles just now. Your first thought was 'maybe this is an unwinnable war'.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea. Seven pirates who chose to became attack dogs of the government, gaining a full pardon in exchange for serving as a counterbalance against not only unleashed regular pirates around the sea, but also the Yonkou, the rulers of the New World. Those four have leveled more populated islands than America has major cities, all under their own power, not aided by cannons, or ships, but their raw, brute strength, and that of their subordinates.
And the Seven Warlords are capable of threatening them. That's one of the people who just declared your crew 'dead pirates sailing'. Well. You'll just have to deal. You take a deep breath, and meet Vivi's eyes. "We saved the East Blue. This crew stopped the remnants of Don Krieg's fleets. We saved Clockwork Island from the Trump Siblings. Hell, you're talking Warlords? They stopped Arlong, one of the Knight of the Sea's former right-hand men."
You reach out a hand and place it on her shoulder. She doesn't push it aside, so you leave it there. Confidence building up, you continue. "A Warlord? That's just the next logical step for this crew. We'll beat him and save your kingdom."
Vivi laughs. "You have a contagious optimism, Miss Taylor. I wish I shared it. I… I don't even know if Karoo and Igaram are alive. I don't know what's going to happen to my kingdom. All I know is… we have to stop Baroque Works."
"Ask Luffy for help," you implore her. "He'll help you."
"Especially if we show him that nightmarish recording," Nami shudders. That's not really helpful for calming Vivi down and letting her know your crew is reliable, but… she's not wrong.
You wish you were better at stuff like this, at being an inspiring hero. You always feel like you're a light year short of that ultimate goal. For now, all you can really say is, "We'll stop them. Together. For now, let's try and get some rest. We can talk to Luffy and the rest of the crew about this tomorrow, when they're less exhausted from the day's chaos."
The Tommy's Hardware scene has been changed from my draft/the rolls I shared to add in two skill rolls - I realized Taylor probably wouldn't get a great reception trying to buy lumber as a fifteen year old girl on her own, so I shifted that around a bit, and you guys got to roll for Disguise and Acting. I also realized the Combat Instinct roll didn't work for what I planned for the Sea King encounter, that was removed. Reflexes was the only roll appropriate for that.
The New Wave and Vivi convos were swapped because I thought it would be a bit weird for that crazy snail call with Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine to happen and for Taylor to just go back to driver's ed like nothing mattered the next day.
Day 1
73:75. Seaman (AoS) 8 not unlocked.
68:90. Boatswain 9 not unlocked.
44:60. Teaching 4 not unlocked.
13:70. Carpentry 4 not unlocked. (These four refers to general bosun-ing/hanging out with Usopp, doing carpentry). 28:90. Shipwright 5 not unlocked.
36:50. No extra loot from Tommy's Hardware visit. The 'loot' would have just been some broken tools for you to repair at a later date, maybe give to Usopp.
72:40. Disguise 4 unlocked. 93:40. Acting 4 unlocked.
16:100. Ninjutsu 0 (category skill) not unlocked.
92:??. Very successful result re: Vivi conversation. Mr. 5 winds up being cocky to impress his partner/FWB and make himself look better, and in trying to intimidate the Straw Hats/destroy their morale, inadvertently gives them critical information. Taylor is able to center Vivi after the snail call, and while Vivi isn't ride or die for the Straw Hats yet, she has faith that they're on her side for now. Zoro and Nami were largely on board with the idea, and Nami lets Taylor take the lead on the Vivi conversation - there's plenty of time to bring up payment in the coming days, after all.
Day 2
51:60. Seaman (AoS) 8 not unlocked.
06:80. Boatswain 9 not unlocked.
53:40. Teaching 4 unlocked. Usopp - very slight increase in some Carpentry skills, learns to use an electric saw and apply some modern carpentry tools to damage on the Merry.
51:30. Carpentry 4 unlocked. 87:60. Carpentry 5 unlocked. 12:60. Shipwright 5 not unlocked.
04:80. Leadership 2 not unlocked.
96:80. Cold Resistance 6 unlocked. (These five skills refer to general bosun-ing on the First Stretch)
24:70. Reflexes 9 not unlocked. (This refers to Sea King near-encounter.)
53:00. Driving 0 unlocked. 95:70. Driving 1 unlocked. 36:100. Driving 2 not unlocked. Started online driving school. 1/3. Easy enough to ram through, a lot of busywork.
10:80. Engineering 3 (category skill) not unlocked.
26:80. What's left of the Crook Club was run out of town. As far as Lady Photon and Brandish are aware, the Club accidentally helped rob an E88 front - Kaiser took umbrage. Bezzy tried to organize a repayment plan to make amends, Kaiser took that as an offense, likely viewing a thinker trying to take advantage of him. Bezzy dead, Tommy Gun maimed, rest left town. New Wave offers you some pointers on potential Merchant hideouts, but warns they normally tend to focus on patrols against E88 and to a lesser extent, ABB.
24:??. Not that catastrophic a result - New Wave shares information on your target capes, but the first impression is a bit rough. I made some modifications to this while writing. New Wave initially only politely refused Taylor because she was unregistered.
But then I came up with the explicit confirmation to Teacher, however, would really piss Taylor off. This roll doesn't just refer to what New Wave thinks of Taylor, but of what Taylor thinks of New Wave. For the foreseeable future, unless they get some real fire-forged friend moments (seems unlikely, but possible), when Taylor sees or interacts with Brandish (and to a much lesser extent, Lady Photon), she'll always have something in the back of her mind like 'this preppy rich prom queen compared me to fucking Teacher.'
+1 Acting (4)
+1 Cold Resistance (6)
+2 Carpentry (5)
+1 Disguise (4)
+2 Driving (1)
+1 Teaching (4)
Loot/Resource Changes
Day 1: +Redmove coral calcium sample.
+Scrap wood and basic tools from Earth Mahon. -$428.94 in Earth-Mahon dollars.
+Notepad from Carol Dallon/Brandish with a specialized emergency-only number for New Wave, addresses listing locations with potential Merchant activity
Day 2: N/A
73:75. Seaman (AoS) 8 not unlocked.
68:90. Boatswain 9 not unlocked.
44:60. Teaching 4 not unlocked.
13:70. Carpentry 4 not unlocked. (These four refers to general bosun-ing/hanging out with Usopp, doing carpentry). 28:90. Shipwright 5 not unlocked.
36:50. No extra loot from Tommy's Hardware visit. The 'loot' would have just been some broken tools for you to repair at a later date, maybe give to Usopp.
72:40. Disguise 4 unlocked. 93:40. Acting 4 unlocked.
16:100. Ninjutsu 0 (category skill) not unlocked.
92:??. Very successful result re: Vivi conversation. Mr. 5 winds up being cocky to impress his partner/FWB and make himself look better, and in trying to intimidate the Straw Hats/destroy their morale, inadvertently gives them critical information. Taylor is able to center Vivi after the snail call, and while Vivi isn't ride or die for the Straw Hats yet, she has faith that they're on her side for now. Zoro and Nami were largely on board with the idea, and Nami lets Taylor take the lead on the Vivi conversation - there's plenty of time to bring up payment in the coming days, after all.
Day 2
51:60. Seaman (AoS) 8 not unlocked.
06:80. Boatswain 9 not unlocked.
53:40. Teaching 4 unlocked. Usopp - very slight increase in some Carpentry skills, learns to use an electric saw and apply some modern carpentry tools to damage on the Merry.
51:30. Carpentry 4 unlocked. 87:60. Carpentry 5 unlocked. 12:60. Shipwright 5 not unlocked.
04:80. Leadership 2 not unlocked.
96:80. Cold Resistance 6 unlocked. (These five skills refer to general bosun-ing on the First Stretch)
24:70. Reflexes 9 not unlocked. (This refers to Sea King near-encounter.)
53:00. Driving 0 unlocked. 95:70. Driving 1 unlocked. 36:100. Driving 2 not unlocked. Started online driving school. 1/3. Easy enough to ram through, a lot of busywork.
10:80. Engineering 3 (category skill) not unlocked.
26:80. What's left of the Crook Club was run out of town. As far as Lady Photon and Brandish are aware, the Club accidentally helped rob an E88 front - Kaiser took umbrage. Bezzy tried to organize a repayment plan to make amends, Kaiser took that as an offense, likely viewing a thinker trying to take advantage of him. Bezzy dead, Tommy Gun maimed, rest left town. New Wave offers you some pointers on potential Merchant hideouts, but warns they normally tend to focus on patrols against E88 and to a lesser extent, ABB.
24:??. Not that catastrophic a result - New Wave shares information on your target capes, but the first impression is a bit rough. I made some modifications to this while writing. New Wave initially only politely refused Taylor because she was unregistered.
But then I came up with the explicit confirmation to Teacher, however, would really piss Taylor off. This roll doesn't just refer to what New Wave thinks of Taylor, but of what Taylor thinks of New Wave. For the foreseeable future, unless they get some real fire-forged friend moments (seems unlikely, but possible), when Taylor sees or interacts with Brandish (and to a much lesser extent, Lady Photon), she'll always have something in the back of her mind like 'this preppy rich prom queen compared me to fucking Teacher.'
+1 Acting (4)
+1 Cold Resistance (6)
+2 Carpentry (5)
+1 Disguise (4)
+2 Driving (1)
+1 Teaching (4)
Loot/Resource Changes
Day 1: +Redmove coral calcium sample.
+Scrap wood and basic tools from Earth Mahon. -$428.94 in Earth-Mahon dollars.
+Notepad from Carol Dallon/Brandish with a specialized emergency-only number for New Wave, addresses listing locations with potential Merchant activity
Day 2: N/A
There you have it. War has been declared. Baroque Works vs. the Straw Hats. Log poses set, the Going Merry, on an inevitable course to conflict.
You have two days to vote on now. Day 1 (Sunday, January 16, 2011, Saturday, May 28, 1532, Sunday, November 12, 2000), and Day 2 (Monday, January 17, 2011, Sunday, May 29, 1532, Monday, November 13, 2000). Voting closes on Wednesday, May 3, at midnight EST.
For Day 1, you have FOUR ACTIONS. For Day 2, you have FIVE ACTIONS.
Ordinarily, you would have seven actions. For Day 1, two actions will be used on First Stretch-related bosuning/general assistance, and one will be used for the crew meeting re: Baroque Works' declaration of war. Day 2 is two more actions for First Stretch-related bosuning/general assistance. This number will go down.
Your driver's ed project would ordinarily be a mandatory action, but due to the extenuating circumstances, I'm putting it on hold and letting you resume it either later, or in this very vote, if you would prefer to get it done now.
If you would like to mention something at the morning crew meeting, write it as an add-on in your plan and @ me. I have veto power, as always.
Before you take a look at the training/project options, view these (2) additional items you need to vote on. These are separate from plans. If you vote solely for Plan [user] but do not vote for MENTALITY and POWER USE, you will not have a vote counted.
MENTALITY: That call with Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine - it shook you. You've never been threatened like that before, you've never faced an enemy as powerful as Baroque Works before, and you've never had this kind of advance warning for a threat before. How does this affect you? This mentality will stick with Taylor until Foolshout is 'finished', and then the players/Taylor will get a chance to reevaluate whether they want to stick with it or not. This is not a light decision on Taylor's part, it should be treated as something with gravity. No write-in options here, pick one.
The Straw Hats will arrive on Foolshout sometime in the next eight to twelve days. The Foolshout arc will not be finished then, it will just be starting. Taylor does not know how long the business on Foolshout Island will take, how many days, etc. Assume at least 8-12 days of the below effect(s).
–[ ] MENTALITY: It doesn't. You and your friends will fight them, and you'll win, having done what you were planning to do all along. No change to skill chances. Taylor continues on as normal.
–[ ] MENTALITY: You want to prioritize combat/combat-adjacent skills or powers. You aren't sure it's the right time to focus on anything else. Until you are 'finished' with the conflict at Foolshout Island, the following skills will have +10 added to whatever you roll, other skills will have -10 from whatever you roll. This quest does not have critical failures. Skills in question: Acrobatics, Blunt Weapons, Bombmaking, Boxing, Capoeira, Combat Instincts, Devil Fruits (Kachi Kachi, Sube Sube), Dual Wielding, Fengten's Tekkutoryu, Fishman Karate (General, Mizudangan), Freerunner, Judo, Killing Intent, Knives, Kung Fu, Marksmanship (Primitive), Ninjutsu, Parahuman powers (if any gained during this period), Poisoncraft, Poison Resistance, Reflexes, Running, Shape Changing, Stealth, Tactics, Weightlifting. This limitation also applies to skills learned from random encounters or mandatory actions. Driving project will be abandoned until this effect ends, or if you choose to reinstate it.
POWER USE: Reaching out to New Wave brought to mind another problem you have. On Earth-Bet, your powers would make you a resource to be exploited. It might be worth hiding your powers to an extent, even from the heroes and allies you make, at least for the time being. This attitude will remain in effect for about a month in-universe, and then we can reevaluate it based on player opinion. This should be considered a temporary measure until the players think they're ready for potential Bet-exposure of the truth of Taylor's powers..
Leaning towards no write-in options here, if you have something you think is a winning idea, @ me, but the answer is probably no. I think these three are a decent spectrum of options that keep you viable on Bet.
–[ ] POWER USE: Hide your power almost entirely, and avoid situations where you'd even have to risk using it. You told New Wave you were (mostly) purely a skill-thinker with some bonuses, stick with that. On Bet, you won't do anything a skill-thinker with some bonuses couldn't do. Locks off options to fight most gangs, save the Merchants and Circus. If you choose this option, next update, a project to create a new back-up identity will be added where you can use your other powers, players allowed to elaborate in write-ins with my permission.
–[ ] POWER USE: Hide your power by claiming to be a skill-combat thinker, as above, but you'll use powers like Sube Sube and Ninjutsu (once fully leveled) more openly in combat. It's a thinner definition of 'skill-thinker with some bonuses to it', but you think it's consistent with what you told New Wave. Locks off options to fight most gangs in groups. Taylor will be willing to ambush (some) villain capes if they're by themselves or in groups of three, where she would previously have just withdrawn completely. If you choose this option, next update, a project to create a new back-up identity will be added where you can use your other powers, players allowed to elaborate in write-ins with my permission. I will also add projects to go after more gangs in the subsequent update.
–[ ] POWER USE: Tell your allies you're a skill-thinker with some bonuses, implying (as you did to an extent in the New Wave chat ('close to the vest')) that there's more to it. In combat however, you fight without restrictions. Maybe in the not too distant future, E88 finds themselves fighting a rock-hard, burning hot bear that completely no sells physical and stabbing attacks, that constantly spews out near-boiling water bullets. This could result in some difficult conversations with your allies, and unwanted attention, but you functionally would fight the same way you would on Mayim or Mahon. No restrictions on fighting cape groups. For now, the Merchants/Circus project is all Taylor will have, but more will be added if you choose this. This option is the likeliest to draw attention your way, but also the likeliest way to gain powers fast. If you pick this option, you'll need to be able to manage time wisely enough to balance the first risk with the second gain.
New projects:
-[ ] Online driver's education. New Hampshire lets you drive supervised at 15 1/2, and take your full test when you turn 16 in June. But just knowing how to drive could be handy in emergencies, or on other worlds. 1 action/2 days. (1/3 to completion, next skills: Driving)
-[ ] Upgrade the Merry to replace crucial wooden parts with metal and other more durable materials. 1 action/day. (0/5+ to completion, next actions: Shipwright, Blacksmith)
-[ ] Re-equip the Merry with Bet-modern quality of life equipment. Electricity, appliances, marine sonar, optics, night vision, etc. Requires some planning, a whole lot of learning, and a lot of money. 1 action/day. (0/10+ to completion, next skills: Engineering, Shipwright).
-[ ] Create a low-key superhero outfit that doesn't draw attention to your powers, for use on worlds like Earth-Mahon. 1 action/day. (0/2 to completion, next skills: Tailor, Sewing)
-[ ] VILLAIN HUNT: Scope out the Merchants and their general activity, with the eventual goal of bringing in Skidmark, Squealer, and Mush. As the bottomfeeders of the Brockton Bay cape community, no one will miss them much, and reputation for defeating them will largely be contained to the cape community. 1 action/day. (0/?? to completion, next skills: Investigation, Stealth, Perception, ???. More street-level, out-in-the-field stuff than the Circus option. Mutually exclusive with other VILLAIN HUNT projects.)
-[ ] VILLAIN HUNT: Try to track down Circus. They're an independent thief villain cape with (possibly) a grab-bag assortment of random powers. They know their stuff, so they'll likely be pretty tough to find. 1 action/day. (0/?? to completion, next skills: Investigation, Perception, ???. This option will involve more research, data-tracking stuff at home, less street-level stuff. Mutually exclusive with other VILLAIN HUNT projects.)
-[ ] Write-in. Tag @jcw3 first.
-[ ] Online driver's education. New Hampshire lets you drive supervised at 15 1/2, and take your full test when you turn 16 in June. But just knowing how to drive could be handy in emergencies, or on other worlds. 1 action/2 days. (1/3 to completion, next skills: Driving)
-[ ] Upgrade the Merry to replace crucial wooden parts with metal and other more durable materials. 1 action/day. (0/5+ to completion, next actions: Shipwright, Blacksmith)
-[ ] Re-equip the Merry with Bet-modern quality of life equipment. Electricity, appliances, marine sonar, optics, night vision, etc. Requires some planning, a whole lot of learning, and a lot of money. 1 action/day. (0/10+ to completion, next skills: Engineering, Shipwright).
-[ ] Create a low-key superhero outfit that doesn't draw attention to your powers, for use on worlds like Earth-Mahon. 1 action/day. (0/2 to completion, next skills: Tailor, Sewing)
-[ ] VILLAIN HUNT: Scope out the Merchants and their general activity, with the eventual goal of bringing in Skidmark, Squealer, and Mush. As the bottomfeeders of the Brockton Bay cape community, no one will miss them much, and reputation for defeating them will largely be contained to the cape community. 1 action/day. (0/?? to completion, next skills: Investigation, Stealth, Perception, ???. More street-level, out-in-the-field stuff than the Circus option. Mutually exclusive with other VILLAIN HUNT projects.)
-[ ] VILLAIN HUNT: Try to track down Circus. They're an independent thief villain cape with (possibly) a grab-bag assortment of random powers. They know their stuff, so they'll likely be pretty tough to find. 1 action/day. (0/?? to completion, next skills: Investigation, Perception, ???. This option will involve more research, data-tracking stuff at home, less street-level stuff. Mutually exclusive with other VILLAIN HUNT projects.)
-[ ] Write-in. Tag @jcw3 first.
Going Merry actions. 1 action each. Max 1 action per person, 3 different persons per day. New options may unlock as you get to know the crew better.
-[ ] Help out around the ship. 30% of Boatswain 9. 60% of Shipwright 5. 30% of Shipwright 6. 0% of Teaching 5.
-[ ] Hang out with Luffy. Potential increase in a skill/skill acquisition?
-[ ] Lift weights with Zoro. 40% of Weightlifting 9. (Medically inadvisable, Zoro needs to fully recover before doing his typical exercise. He'll be better on Friday, January 21, 2011/Thursday, June 2, 1532/Friday, November 17, 2000.)
-[ ] Two swords is halfway to three swords, right? Ask Zoro for some tips on wielding two swords at once. 0% of Dual Wielding 8. (reduced due to lack of room) (Medically inadvisable, Zoro needs to fully recover before doing his typical exercise. He'll be better on Friday, January 21, 2011/Thursday, June 2, 1532/Friday, November 17, 2000.)
-[ ] Help Sanji in the kitchen. 20% of Cooking 7.
-[ ] Ask Sanji about plants and animals. 20% Survival 5, 0% Naturalist 7. Potential increase in related skills. Potential increase in Teaching.
-[ ] Ask Sanji about training your poison resistance. ???
-[ ] Lockpicking lessons with Nami. 100% of Locksmith 2. 40% of Locksmith 3.
-[ ] Hang out while Nami works. 40% of Navigation 5, 20% of Navigation 5. 20% of Meteorology 4. 60% of Meteorology 3. 20% of Cartography 1.
-[ ] Show Nami some Earth-Bet science and history books. Potential increase in academic fields. Potential increase in Teaching.
-[ ] Ask Usopp for sharpshooting lessons. 100% of Marksmanship (Primitive) 4, 50% of Marksmanship (Primitive) 5.
-[ ] Ask Usopp to teach you more about explosives. 90% of Bombmaking 3. 40% of Bombmaking 4. Potential increase in Chemistry. Potential increase in Teaching.
-[ ] Ask Usopp about training your poison resistance. Potential increase in Poison Resistance, Potential increase in Poisoncrafting.
Earth-Bet actions.
-[ ] Write-in a shopping list to buy personally. 1 action.
-[ ] Write-in a shopping list for dad to buy. 1 action.
-[ ] Look into how to register with the PRT. You aren't sure you're fully willing to commit to it yet, but it seems like something that you need to do to really start to operate as a heroine on Bet. 1 action. Opens an option for a vote next update.
-[ ] Write-in. Ask me first. Keep in mind, almost anything you can currently do on Bet, you can do on Mahon, with a bit more effort up front and without worrying about Watchful Eyes.
Earth-Mahon actions.
-[ ] Practice smithing at your chosen iron works. 1 action. 0% of Blacksmith 8, 75% of one of Armorsmith 6 or Weaponsmith 6.
--[ ] You may write-in a specific item to work on, subject to veto. Taylor's choice otherwise. Some items may take multiple actions.
-[ ] Buy some more tools for Usopp. This investment may reduce the number of actions you need to take on the Going Merry in the long run. 1 action . -$200-500 Mahon USD, depending on rolls.
-[ ] Visit a market stall in Mahon-NYC to buy specific items that could be of use to you or your allies. 1 action. If you want to buy a load of stuff, it may take multiple actions.
--[ ] Write-in here, but keep it reasonable. Subject to veto.
-[ ] Use the library to find some places in Mahon-NYC that might be useful for training, crafting, resource acquisition, etc. This can be a shooting range, bookstore, grocery store, hardware store, whatever you may need. Remember to keep an eye on currency. 1 action per location.
Training: Powers. 1 action each.
-[ ] Devil Fruit: Paramecia: Kachi Kachi no Mi: The ability to give your body properties of rock. Also known as the "Rock Hard Fruit". 60% of Kachi Kachi no Mi 3. (2x +10 bonus available)
-[ ] Devil Fruit: Paramecia: Sube Sube no Mi: The ability to have things slide off your skin. The Slip-Slip Fruit. 0% of Sube Sube no Mi 9.
-[ ] Fishman Karate (Beginner). This martial art is meant for water breathers to fight in a three-dimensional arena. It's a long road to go down, but getting started could put you near the top in a world so reliant on the ocean. You can now train this any time at the Boat Graveyard. 0% of Fishman Karate (Beginner) 4.
-[ ] Fishman Jujutsu (Mizudangan). Hydrokinesis is hard. You can now train this anytime at the Boat Graveyard. 20% of Fishman Jujutsu (Mizudangan) 2.
-[ ] Shape Changing: Giant Fur Fish. An amphibious animal, native to Furskin Island. 100% of Giant Fur Fish 0. 90% of Giant Fur Fish 1. 60% of Giant Fur Fish 2. 30% of Giant Fur Fish 3.
-[ ] Shape Changing: Longarm. Whoa. Nifty. You could get an extra joint. 100% of Longarm 0. 90% of Longarm 1. 60% of Longarm 2.
-[ ] Shape Changing: Goldfish Fishman. 100% of Goldfish Fishman 0. 90% of Goldfish Fishman 1. 40% of Goldfish Fishman 2.
-[ ] Shape Changing: Swordfish Fishman. 30% of Swordfish Fishman 7. (+10 bonus available)
Training: Magic. 1 action each.
-[ ] Fengten's Tekkutoryu. The pirate Fengten used a style with brass knuckles that amplified his punches to superhuman levels. 20% of Fengten's Tekkutoryu 0. This is an Aura combat style (note: Aura is different from Haki).
-[ ] Ninjutsu (category skill). The ninja you fought on Warship Island had a few special techniques she used that seemed beyond human ability. Headway tells you that these techniques are derived from mastery of other skills. 5% of Ninjutsu 0. (+20 bonus available) (subskills are Meteorology, Geography, Disguise, Acting, Meditation, Tactics, Stealth, Swimming, Freerunning, Horsemanship, Knives, Polearms, Swordmanship, Blunt Weapons, Explosives, Demolitions, Bombmaking, Killing Intent)
-[ ] Killing Intent. You can now consciously intimidate someone just by projecting an intent to kill. You have a feeling this is much more difficult given that you don't intend to kill anyone. If you did find yourself in such a situation, it would increase far more readily. After that snail call with Mr. 5, you're suddenly understanding this a bit more. 70% of Killing Intent 2.
Training: Academics. 1 action each.
-[ ] Math. 25% of Mathematics 7.
-[ ] History (category skill). Increases Earth-Bet History and Earth-Mayim History. 20% of History 6.
-[ ] Weapon History. 100% Weapon History 0. 50% Weapon History 1. 10% Weapon History 2.
-[ ] Computers (catch-up). 30% of Programming 7. 55% of Technical Support 6. 15% of Computer Maintenance 6.
-[ ] Criminal Psychology. Understanding criminals. 70% of Criminal Psychology 1. 20% of Criminal Psychology 2.
-[ ] Forensics. How to analyze crime and track criminals. 70% of Forensics 0, 10% of Forensics 1.
-[ ] Law Studies. The law is really important going forward. 50% of Law Studies 4.
--[ ] Parahuman Studies. At this level, you're past reading scientific papers, and more focused on the inner workings of parahumanity. 0% of Parahuman Studies 7. (unavailable until special actions taken)
--[ ] Science (category skill). 0% of Science 8.-(unavailable as component skills are too low)
-[ ] Science (catch-up). 85% of Biology 6. 30% of Chemistry 7. 5% of Geology 7. 85% of Physics 7.
-[ ] Psychology. 50% of Psychology 0.
Training: Languages. 1 action each.
-[ ] Spanish. 100% of Spanish 0. 50% of Spanish 1.
-[ ] Mandarin Chinese. 90% of Mandarin Chinese 0. 10% of Mandarin Chinese 1.
-[ ] French. 90% of French 0. 40% of French 1.
-[ ] Hindi. 75% of Hindi 0.
-[ ] German. 90% of German 0. 40% of German 1.
-[ ] Korean. 100% of Korean 0. 75% of Korean 1.
-[ ] Russian. 60% of Russian 0.
-[ ] Arabic. 75% of Arabic 0.
-[ ] Portuguese. 100% of Portuguese 0. 40% of Portuguese 1.
-[ ] Vietnamese. 80% of Vietnamese 0.
-[ ] Learn two new programming languages. 95% of Warrior's Type 1-5 (100% of 1-3). 95% of COM-VOY 1-5 (100% of 1-3).
Training: Mundane Combat/Fitness. 1 action each.
-[ ] Acrobatics. Flips and such. You can train this at the wildlife refuge. 50% of Acrobatics 4.
-[ ] Dual Wielding. 0% of Dual Wielding 8. (Refer to Going Merry Actions)
-[ ] Weightlifting. 20% of Weightlifting 9. (Refer to Going Merry Actions)
-[ ] Knives. This skill covers combat using blades short enough to be considered knives, both in melee and thrown. You suspect your mastery of swordsmanship gives you a boost here. 100% Knives 0, 60% Knives 1, 20% Knives 2.
-[ ] Running. You'll train in the countryside or in Earth-Mahon. 50% of Running 9.
-[ ] Freerunner. The art of maneuvering through obstacles. You like the word freerunning better than parkour. You can train this in the countryside. 70% of Freerunner 5. 20% Freerunner 6.
-[ ] Swimming. You now can swim as well as an Olympic athlete. You can now train this anytime at the Boat Graveyard. 60% of Swimming 6.
-[ ] Boxing. You thought boxing was simple when you started. Boy were you wrong. 0% of Boxing 10. Slight chance of increase in Martial Arts Mastery.
-[ ] Capoeira. 100% of Capoeira 5. 80% of Capoeira 6. 10% of Capoeira 7. Slight chance of increase in Martial Arts Mastery.
-[ ] Judo. 50% of Judo 7. Slight chance of increase in Martial Arts Mastery.
-[ ] Kung Fu. You started with online videos, but by this point you're inventing techniques. 10% of Kung Fu 10. Slight chance of increase in Martial Arts Mastery. (+10 bonus available) Taylor is taking a hiatus from mundane martial arts for the next several days
Training: Resistance skills. 1 action each.
-[ ] Cold Resistance. You can train this any time at the Boat Graveyard. 0% of Cold Resistance 7.
-[ ] Poison Resistance. Mundane poisons go straight through you and you remain functional to a degree. Maybe it's time to talk to Usopp or Sanji instead of training this on your own? 0% of Poison Resistance 8. 30% of Poisoncraft 4.
Training: Crafting and related skills. 1 action each.
-[ ] Engineering (category skill). This could be a massively useful skill. 35% of Engineering 3. (+20 bonus available) (subskills are Bombmaking, Clockwork Engineering, Earth-Bet Engineering, and Shipwright)
-[ ] Clockwork Engineering. This is a specific type of engineering to do with conducting power though gears and springs, and with piezoelectricity and water and steam power. 60% Clockwork Engineering 2. Potential increase in Earth-Bet Engineering.
-[ ] Earth-Bet Engineering. Limit your studies to just mundane machines on Earth-Bet. 90% of Earth-Bet Engineering 3. 60% of Earth-Bet Engineering 4. 10% of Earth-Bet Engineering 5.
-[ ] Poisoncraft. Learn how to make poisons from scratch, and from natural ingredients. 0% of Naturalist 7. 60% of Poisoncraft 4.
-[ ] Repair. This is a general skill, covering the repair of objects. 80% of Repair 4. 10% of Repair 5.
-[ ] Carpentry. 0% of Carpentry 6.
-[ ] Electrician. 60% of Electrician 3.
-[ ] Plumbing. 70% of Plumbing 2. 20% Plumbing 3.
-[ ] Vehicle Mechanic. This is a general skill covering the fixing and maintenance of vehicles, of any mundane sort. 100% of Vehicle Mechanic 0. 70% of Vehicle Mechanic 1.
Training: Practical skills. 1 action each.
-[ ] Cooking. Earth-Mayim isn't a world that has convenient supermarkets. 0% of Cooking 7. (Refer to Going Merry Actions)
-[ ] Doctor. Crocus gave you a medical textbook, and you'll combine that with basic resources available online to study the medical profession. 40% of Doctor 2. Doctor is a category skill for Anatomy, Medicine, and First Aid.
-[ ] Driving. 60% of Driving 2. 10% of Driving 3. (1/3 to completion of Driver's Ed project)
-[ ] First Aid. There's a first aid kit just sitting in the kitchen. Honestly, you're pretty good at using it already. 0% of First Aid 8. 20% of Medicine 5. 20% of Anatomy 5. 1 action.
-[ ] Meteorology. (Refer to Going Merry Actions)
-[ ] Navigation. (Refer to Going Merry Actions)
-[ ] Perception. You might have glasses, but that doesn't mean you don't notice things. Or can't. 10% of Perception 8. (+25 bonus available)
-[ ] Photography. Now that you have a fancy camera, you best learn how to use it. 100% of Photography 0. 50% of Photography 1. 10% of Photography 2. Low chance of increase in Art.
-[ ] Stealth. Hide from animals and people. Can be trained at the wildlife refuge for now. 15% of Stealth 7.
-[ ] Seaman (category skill). You're going to be spending a long time on ships. You're good, but you could be better. 20% of Seaman 6. 1 action.
-[ ] Survival (category skill). Increases Fishing, Hunting, Skinning. 30% of Survival 5.
-[ ] Fishing. You're going to be on a ship for extended periods of time, and this might be necessary. 80% of Fishing 5.
-[ ] Trapper (catch-up). Learn how to set up traps and the like. 100% of Trapper 0. 60% of Trapper 1.
-[ ] Tactics. You're going to be a superhuman with rapidly growing abilities. You might as well learn how to best leverage said abilities. 40% of Tactician 8.
-[ ] Public Speaking. Yeah, this is going to be a tough one. 50% of Public Speaking 3.
-[ ] Leadership. Another tough one, though you feel like you're growing into the role. 40% of Leadership 2.
-[ ] Politics. 50% of Politics 0.
Training: General. 1 action each.
-[ ] Clothier (category skill). 0% of Clothier 8. (unavailable as component skills are too low)
-[ ] Fashion. How to make clothes look good. 10% Fashion 7.
-[ ] Locksmith. Man, Dad will be confused when he finds out you're trying this out. 80% of Locksmith 2. 20% of Locksmith 3. (Refer to Going Merry Actions)
-[ ] Woodwind Musician. For your mom. 50% of Woodwind Musician 3. 10% of Woodwind Musician 4. (+50 bonus available)
-[ ] Painting. 100% of Painting 3. 40% of Painting 4. 0% of Painting 5.
-[ ] Singing. 50% of Singing 0.
-[ ] Dancing. 70% of Dancing 1. 15% of Dancing 2.
-[ ] Acting. 10% of Acting 5.
-[ ] Disguise. 20% Disguise 5.
-[ ] Write-in. Ask me first. 1 action.
Training: Unlisted skills.
The following skills and their derivative skills are blocked as you don't have an appropriate place to train them. Maybe you should work on that, huh?:
none right now
The following skills and their derivative skills are not listed because you have not sought out a way to advance them:
Art, World Issues, various Weapons skills, Barter
-[ ] Help out around the ship. 30% of Boatswain 9. 60% of Shipwright 5. 30% of Shipwright 6. 0% of Teaching 5.
-[ ] Hang out with Luffy. Potential increase in a skill/skill acquisition?
-[ ] Lift weights with Zoro. 40% of Weightlifting 9. (Medically inadvisable, Zoro needs to fully recover before doing his typical exercise. He'll be better on Friday, January 21, 2011/Thursday, June 2, 1532/Friday, November 17, 2000.)
-[ ] Two swords is halfway to three swords, right? Ask Zoro for some tips on wielding two swords at once. 0% of Dual Wielding 8. (reduced due to lack of room) (Medically inadvisable, Zoro needs to fully recover before doing his typical exercise. He'll be better on Friday, January 21, 2011/Thursday, June 2, 1532/Friday, November 17, 2000.)
-[ ] Help Sanji in the kitchen. 20% of Cooking 7.
-[ ] Ask Sanji about plants and animals. 20% Survival 5, 0% Naturalist 7. Potential increase in related skills. Potential increase in Teaching.
-[ ] Ask Sanji about training your poison resistance. ???
-[ ] Lockpicking lessons with Nami. 100% of Locksmith 2. 40% of Locksmith 3.
-[ ] Hang out while Nami works. 40% of Navigation 5, 20% of Navigation 5. 20% of Meteorology 4. 60% of Meteorology 3. 20% of Cartography 1.
-[ ] Show Nami some Earth-Bet science and history books. Potential increase in academic fields. Potential increase in Teaching.
-[ ] Ask Usopp for sharpshooting lessons. 100% of Marksmanship (Primitive) 4, 50% of Marksmanship (Primitive) 5.
-[ ] Ask Usopp to teach you more about explosives. 90% of Bombmaking 3. 40% of Bombmaking 4. Potential increase in Chemistry. Potential increase in Teaching.
-[ ] Ask Usopp about training your poison resistance. Potential increase in Poison Resistance, Potential increase in Poisoncrafting.
Earth-Bet actions.
-[ ] Write-in a shopping list to buy personally. 1 action.
-[ ] Write-in a shopping list for dad to buy. 1 action.
-[ ] Look into how to register with the PRT. You aren't sure you're fully willing to commit to it yet, but it seems like something that you need to do to really start to operate as a heroine on Bet. 1 action. Opens an option for a vote next update.
-[ ] Write-in. Ask me first. Keep in mind, almost anything you can currently do on Bet, you can do on Mahon, with a bit more effort up front and without worrying about Watchful Eyes.
Earth-Mahon actions.
-[ ] Practice smithing at your chosen iron works. 1 action. 0% of Blacksmith 8, 75% of one of Armorsmith 6 or Weaponsmith 6.
--[ ] You may write-in a specific item to work on, subject to veto. Taylor's choice otherwise. Some items may take multiple actions.
-[ ] Buy some more tools for Usopp. This investment may reduce the number of actions you need to take on the Going Merry in the long run. 1 action . -$200-500 Mahon USD, depending on rolls.
-[ ] Visit a market stall in Mahon-NYC to buy specific items that could be of use to you or your allies. 1 action. If you want to buy a load of stuff, it may take multiple actions.
--[ ] Write-in here, but keep it reasonable. Subject to veto.
-[ ] Use the library to find some places in Mahon-NYC that might be useful for training, crafting, resource acquisition, etc. This can be a shooting range, bookstore, grocery store, hardware store, whatever you may need. Remember to keep an eye on currency. 1 action per location.
Training: Powers. 1 action each.
-[ ] Devil Fruit: Paramecia: Kachi Kachi no Mi: The ability to give your body properties of rock. Also known as the "Rock Hard Fruit". 60% of Kachi Kachi no Mi 3. (2x +10 bonus available)
-[ ] Devil Fruit: Paramecia: Sube Sube no Mi: The ability to have things slide off your skin. The Slip-Slip Fruit. 0% of Sube Sube no Mi 9.
-[ ] Fishman Karate (Beginner). This martial art is meant for water breathers to fight in a three-dimensional arena. It's a long road to go down, but getting started could put you near the top in a world so reliant on the ocean. You can now train this any time at the Boat Graveyard. 0% of Fishman Karate (Beginner) 4.
-[ ] Fishman Jujutsu (Mizudangan). Hydrokinesis is hard. You can now train this anytime at the Boat Graveyard. 20% of Fishman Jujutsu (Mizudangan) 2.
-[ ] Shape Changing: Giant Fur Fish. An amphibious animal, native to Furskin Island. 100% of Giant Fur Fish 0. 90% of Giant Fur Fish 1. 60% of Giant Fur Fish 2. 30% of Giant Fur Fish 3.
-[ ] Shape Changing: Longarm. Whoa. Nifty. You could get an extra joint. 100% of Longarm 0. 90% of Longarm 1. 60% of Longarm 2.
-[ ] Shape Changing: Goldfish Fishman. 100% of Goldfish Fishman 0. 90% of Goldfish Fishman 1. 40% of Goldfish Fishman 2.
-[ ] Shape Changing: Swordfish Fishman. 30% of Swordfish Fishman 7. (+10 bonus available)
Training: Magic. 1 action each.
-[ ] Fengten's Tekkutoryu. The pirate Fengten used a style with brass knuckles that amplified his punches to superhuman levels. 20% of Fengten's Tekkutoryu 0. This is an Aura combat style (note: Aura is different from Haki).
-[ ] Ninjutsu (category skill). The ninja you fought on Warship Island had a few special techniques she used that seemed beyond human ability. Headway tells you that these techniques are derived from mastery of other skills. 5% of Ninjutsu 0. (+20 bonus available) (subskills are Meteorology, Geography, Disguise, Acting, Meditation, Tactics, Stealth, Swimming, Freerunning, Horsemanship, Knives, Polearms, Swordmanship, Blunt Weapons, Explosives, Demolitions, Bombmaking, Killing Intent)
-[ ] Killing Intent. You can now consciously intimidate someone just by projecting an intent to kill. You have a feeling this is much more difficult given that you don't intend to kill anyone. If you did find yourself in such a situation, it would increase far more readily. After that snail call with Mr. 5, you're suddenly understanding this a bit more. 70% of Killing Intent 2.
Training: Academics. 1 action each.
-[ ] Math. 25% of Mathematics 7.
-[ ] History (category skill). Increases Earth-Bet History and Earth-Mayim History. 20% of History 6.
-[ ] Weapon History. 100% Weapon History 0. 50% Weapon History 1. 10% Weapon History 2.
-[ ] Computers (catch-up). 30% of Programming 7. 55% of Technical Support 6. 15% of Computer Maintenance 6.
-[ ] Criminal Psychology. Understanding criminals. 70% of Criminal Psychology 1. 20% of Criminal Psychology 2.
-[ ] Forensics. How to analyze crime and track criminals. 70% of Forensics 0, 10% of Forensics 1.
-[ ] Law Studies. The law is really important going forward. 50% of Law Studies 4.
-[ ] Science (catch-up). 85% of Biology 6. 30% of Chemistry 7. 5% of Geology 7. 85% of Physics 7.
-[ ] Psychology. 50% of Psychology 0.
Training: Languages. 1 action each.
-[ ] Spanish. 100% of Spanish 0. 50% of Spanish 1.
-[ ] Mandarin Chinese. 90% of Mandarin Chinese 0. 10% of Mandarin Chinese 1.
-[ ] French. 90% of French 0. 40% of French 1.
-[ ] Hindi. 75% of Hindi 0.
-[ ] German. 90% of German 0. 40% of German 1.
-[ ] Korean. 100% of Korean 0. 75% of Korean 1.
-[ ] Russian. 60% of Russian 0.
-[ ] Arabic. 75% of Arabic 0.
-[ ] Portuguese. 100% of Portuguese 0. 40% of Portuguese 1.
-[ ] Vietnamese. 80% of Vietnamese 0.
-[ ] Learn two new programming languages. 95% of Warrior's Type 1-5 (100% of 1-3). 95% of COM-VOY 1-5 (100% of 1-3).
Training: Mundane Combat/Fitness. 1 action each.
-[ ] Acrobatics. Flips and such. You can train this at the wildlife refuge. 50% of Acrobatics 4.
-[ ] Dual Wielding. 0% of Dual Wielding 8. (Refer to Going Merry Actions)
-[ ] Weightlifting. 20% of Weightlifting 9. (Refer to Going Merry Actions)
-[ ] Knives. This skill covers combat using blades short enough to be considered knives, both in melee and thrown. You suspect your mastery of swordsmanship gives you a boost here. 100% Knives 0, 60% Knives 1, 20% Knives 2.
-[ ] Running. You'll train in the countryside or in Earth-Mahon. 50% of Running 9.
-[ ] Freerunner. The art of maneuvering through obstacles. You like the word freerunning better than parkour. You can train this in the countryside. 70% of Freerunner 5. 20% Freerunner 6.
-[ ] Swimming. You now can swim as well as an Olympic athlete. You can now train this anytime at the Boat Graveyard. 60% of Swimming 6.
-[ ] Boxing. You thought boxing was simple when you started. Boy were you wrong. 0% of Boxing 10. Slight chance of increase in Martial Arts Mastery.
-[ ] Capoeira. 100% of Capoeira 5. 80% of Capoeira 6. 10% of Capoeira 7. Slight chance of increase in Martial Arts Mastery.
-[ ] Judo. 50% of Judo 7. Slight chance of increase in Martial Arts Mastery.
-[ ] Kung Fu. You started with online videos, but by this point you're inventing techniques. 10% of Kung Fu 10. Slight chance of increase in Martial Arts Mastery. (+10 bonus available) Taylor is taking a hiatus from mundane martial arts for the next several days
Training: Resistance skills. 1 action each.
-[ ] Cold Resistance. You can train this any time at the Boat Graveyard. 0% of Cold Resistance 7.
-[ ] Poison Resistance. Mundane poisons go straight through you and you remain functional to a degree. Maybe it's time to talk to Usopp or Sanji instead of training this on your own? 0% of Poison Resistance 8. 30% of Poisoncraft 4.
Training: Crafting and related skills. 1 action each.
-[ ] Engineering (category skill). This could be a massively useful skill. 35% of Engineering 3. (+20 bonus available) (subskills are Bombmaking, Clockwork Engineering, Earth-Bet Engineering, and Shipwright)
-[ ] Clockwork Engineering. This is a specific type of engineering to do with conducting power though gears and springs, and with piezoelectricity and water and steam power. 60% Clockwork Engineering 2. Potential increase in Earth-Bet Engineering.
-[ ] Earth-Bet Engineering. Limit your studies to just mundane machines on Earth-Bet. 90% of Earth-Bet Engineering 3. 60% of Earth-Bet Engineering 4. 10% of Earth-Bet Engineering 5.
-[ ] Poisoncraft. Learn how to make poisons from scratch, and from natural ingredients. 0% of Naturalist 7. 60% of Poisoncraft 4.
-[ ] Repair. This is a general skill, covering the repair of objects. 80% of Repair 4. 10% of Repair 5.
-[ ] Carpentry. 0% of Carpentry 6.
-[ ] Electrician. 60% of Electrician 3.
-[ ] Plumbing. 70% of Plumbing 2. 20% Plumbing 3.
-[ ] Vehicle Mechanic. This is a general skill covering the fixing and maintenance of vehicles, of any mundane sort. 100% of Vehicle Mechanic 0. 70% of Vehicle Mechanic 1.
Training: Practical skills. 1 action each.
-[ ] Cooking. Earth-Mayim isn't a world that has convenient supermarkets. 0% of Cooking 7. (Refer to Going Merry Actions)
-[ ] Doctor. Crocus gave you a medical textbook, and you'll combine that with basic resources available online to study the medical profession. 40% of Doctor 2. Doctor is a category skill for Anatomy, Medicine, and First Aid.
-[ ] Driving. 60% of Driving 2. 10% of Driving 3. (1/3 to completion of Driver's Ed project)
-[ ] First Aid. There's a first aid kit just sitting in the kitchen. Honestly, you're pretty good at using it already. 0% of First Aid 8. 20% of Medicine 5. 20% of Anatomy 5. 1 action.
-[ ] Meteorology. (Refer to Going Merry Actions)
-[ ] Navigation. (Refer to Going Merry Actions)
-[ ] Perception. You might have glasses, but that doesn't mean you don't notice things. Or can't. 10% of Perception 8. (+25 bonus available)
-[ ] Photography. Now that you have a fancy camera, you best learn how to use it. 100% of Photography 0. 50% of Photography 1. 10% of Photography 2. Low chance of increase in Art.
-[ ] Stealth. Hide from animals and people. Can be trained at the wildlife refuge for now. 15% of Stealth 7.
-[ ] Seaman (category skill). You're going to be spending a long time on ships. You're good, but you could be better. 20% of Seaman 6. 1 action.
-[ ] Survival (category skill). Increases Fishing, Hunting, Skinning. 30% of Survival 5.
-[ ] Fishing. You're going to be on a ship for extended periods of time, and this might be necessary. 80% of Fishing 5.
-[ ] Trapper (catch-up). Learn how to set up traps and the like. 100% of Trapper 0. 60% of Trapper 1.
-[ ] Tactics. You're going to be a superhuman with rapidly growing abilities. You might as well learn how to best leverage said abilities. 40% of Tactician 8.
-[ ] Public Speaking. Yeah, this is going to be a tough one. 50% of Public Speaking 3.
-[ ] Leadership. Another tough one, though you feel like you're growing into the role. 40% of Leadership 2.
-[ ] Politics. 50% of Politics 0.
Training: General. 1 action each.
-[ ] Fashion. How to make clothes look good. 10% Fashion 7.
-[ ] Locksmith. Man, Dad will be confused when he finds out you're trying this out. 80% of Locksmith 2. 20% of Locksmith 3. (Refer to Going Merry Actions)
-[ ] Woodwind Musician. For your mom. 50% of Woodwind Musician 3. 10% of Woodwind Musician 4. (+50 bonus available)
-[ ] Painting. 100% of Painting 3. 40% of Painting 4. 0% of Painting 5.
-[ ] Singing. 50% of Singing 0.
-[ ] Dancing. 70% of Dancing 1. 15% of Dancing 2.
-[ ] Acting. 10% of Acting 5.
-[ ] Disguise. 20% Disguise 5.
-[ ] Write-in. Ask me first. 1 action.
Training: Unlisted skills.
The following skills and their derivative skills are blocked as you don't have an appropriate place to train them. Maybe you should work on that, huh?:
none right now
The following skills and their derivative skills are not listed because you have not sought out a way to advance them:
Art, World Issues, various Weapons skills, Barter
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