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Infernal Conundrum: [Exalted/Worm] - Part 2: Hell is Other Exalts

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MadGreenSon said:
Better, I think, that she come to terms with the indisputable fact that she is not who she was anymore. Not in body, mind, or soul. Accepting this, owning it, and moving forward is the true path to finding peace with herself.

Accepting who you are is also a part of growing up. An Infernal Exalted coming of age story, if you will.
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Maybe, but piling it on to Taylor like Tomescu Flesh Extravagance will do is 'not' the way to go about it I think.

Maybe in a few years, but at the moment?
No. I don't see it as being IC at all.
 
sainen said:
if it couldn't be justified IC then Thief of words would not have given it to us as an option.
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I disagree with Thief of Words on this, at least somewhat.
Also, remember Thief suggested 'there will be unintended consequences' for voting for Tomescu Flesh Extravagance.

MadGreenSon said:
Are you kidding?

Taylor Hebert goes all in. It's her thing. No holding back, damn the torpedoes, all ahead flank.

Physical damage? Psychological damage? No fucks given. Her only gear is straight ahead at full speed.
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Not sure how much of that is fanon, and how much of that came from later in her career.
 
MadGreenSon said:
Are you kidding?

Taylor Hebert goes all in. It's her thing. No holding back, damn the torpedoes, all ahead flank.

Physical damage? Psychological damage? No fucks given. Her only gear is straight ahead at full speed.
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No. No. This is incorrect on several levels. At the beginning of canon she is just a broken little girl who wanted to stop hurting. At the end, she was the same. Yes, Post Golden Morning, she was much the same she was all those years prior.

Ever heard the phrase, "the cornered rat will bite the cat"? That was Taylor, at every point in the story. That's why the fandom named her 'Queen of Escalation'. She was always, in her mind, the cornered rat. And that's why she is a sympathetic character. Because Worm is not her story.

How many things does Taylor decide to do, and how many things was she drag or pushed into? How many times did she honestly think she had a choice? If strength is the ability to choose for yourself, then, as fucked up as she, Sophia was right; Taylor was weak and never became strong. That's why she is sympathetic. If Worm was Taylor's story, then she would be a horribly unsympathetic character.

So, if Worm isn't Taylor's story, whose story is it? Well, I'll give you a hint: she has blond hair.
 
Schielman said:
No. No. This is incorrect on several levels. At the beginning of canon she is just a broken little girl who wanted to stop hurting. At the end, she was the same. Yes, Post Golden Morning, she was much the same she was all those years prior.

Ever heard the phrase, "the cornered rat will bite the cat"? That was Taylor, at every point in the story. That's why the fandom named her 'Queen of Escalation'. She was always, in her mind, the cornered rat. And that's why she is a sympathetic character. Because Worm is not her story.

How many things does Taylor decide to do, and how many things was she drag or pushed into? How many times did she honestly think she had a choice? If strength is the ability to choose for yourself, then, as fucked up as she, Sophia was right; Taylor was weak and never became strong. That's why she is sympathetic. If Worm was Taylor's story, then she would be a horribly unsympathetic character.

So, if Worm isn't Taylor's story, whose story is it? Well, I'll give you a hint: she has blond hair.
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My view of Taylor was crystallized by what Ryuugi said here
Ryuugi said:
Is this really true? Let's think about this for a moment, honestly.

Brian isn't Taylor. At all. In someways they may seem similar, but they really, really aren't and it gets especially obvious when you really look at things. Like, you look at the Undersiders and at first you think, 'okay, so Brian's the pragmatic, responsible one.Lisa's the smart, knowledgeable one, Alec's the blunt, easy-going one, and Rachel's the crazy one. Taylor is the other responsible one.' But as you look closer, you see where that breaks down, and the biggest way is this.

Taylor's not the responsible one. Taylor's the bat shit crazy one--Rachel's just maladjusted.

Jokes of escalation aside, we all know how Taylor gets, especially given a goal to focus on. She's somewhere between unstoppable and suicidal. I want to be a hero--let me throw myself against Lung the first night out. I want to be a hero--let me take up an absurdly dangerous plan to go undercover with no experience. An Endbringer attacks and I have no way to harm it in the slightest? Let me rush towards the oncoming tsunami. Coil has Dinah? I'll do whatever it takes to save her. The Slaughterhouse Nine? Behemoth? The end of the world? Scion? I'll do whatever it takes.

And she does. She gives up everything to do that, several times. Once she starts going, she never stops and even though her power is nowhere near weak, she regularly goes off to fight people she just outright can't hurt. High risk, high reward; high risk, low reward. It doesn't matter. She starts and keeps going until she crashes or everything that could kill her is gone--and usually reached the latter first.
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Well, looks like, unless there's a surge and people vote for the other two plans, we're getting Tomescu Flesh Extravagance.

I'm just hoping the unintended consequences are something we can deal with.

Also that we can get the mutations internalized.
 
the DragonBard said:
Well, looks like, unless there's a surge and people vote for the other two plans, we're getting Tomescu Flesh Extravagance.

I'm just hoping the unintended consequences are something we can deal with.
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Hopefully not people treating us like a larval Endbringer or something.

[X]Plan Not Gonna Die
-[X][XP]Every Last Detail - 4xp
-[X][Physical]Death Dealing Journey
-[X][Mental]Joy In Violence Approach
-[X][Mental]War
-[X][Mental]Perception
 
Agreed.
I just wish people had voted for the MA style instead of training Death Dealing Journey. Main reason I haven't switched over to Plan Not Gonna Die.

Though, if it gets enough votes, I'll switch over just to keep TFE from winning.
 
Shorter than I wanted, but here it is.

Breakdown

The first indication that Victoria 'Vicky/Glory Girl' Dallon had something was going on, was when she heard the crack of breaking glass while waiting for her friend, Taylor Hebert outside of the bathroom at the Dallon house.

"Taylor?" Vicky called out. "Are you alright?"

She could hear soft weeping from inside. "Are you OK?"

Vicky rattled the door, seeing if it would open, but it was locked tight.

The weeping continued.

Vicky pounded on the door, though she held back just enough to not break a hole in it, only a stray thought of how much her mother had yelled the last time she'd accidentally broken a door stayed her hand.

"Taylor, let me in, please."

This went on for another few minutes, and Vicky was seriously beginning to consider tearing the door off and dealing with her mother's yelling, when she heard the click of the lock being opened, and the door opened, revealing Taylor in her transformed state.

"Sorry." Taylor sniffed. "Accidentally broken the glass." Taylor nodded at the trash can, indicating she'd already put the pieces of the broken glass in there.

"Taylor... is something the matter?" Vicky asked.

Taylor definitely looked and acted like she'd been crying just recently, as Vicky could attest, having bawled her eyes out a number of times after her near legendary break-ups with Dean over something or another.

Taylor nodded.

"Um... do you... wanna talk about it?"

Taylor took a deep breath, and let it out.

"I just was washing my hands, and I glanced at the mirror, and it suddenly hit me, that wasn't who I was anymore, it was all a fucking lie. So, I dropped my disguise, and looked at myself, how I 'really' look." Taylor started tearing up again. "You know, before this, I looked a lot like my mother? Especially the hair, it was the one part I was really proud of, that made me look like a girl, and now..." Taylor started crying. "And now I look like a monster." Taylor covered her face with her hands.

Vicky quickly hugged Taylor.

"No, you don't look like a monster." Vicky tried to assure Taylor.

"OF COURSE I DO!" Taylor yelled. "LOOK AT MY ARMS! MY LEGS!" Taylor thrust out her arms, and then gestured to her legs. "AND I HAVE A FUCKING THIRD EYE! I'M A FREAK, A MONSTER!" Taylor collapsed to the floor as she started bawling.

'Damn it, I wish Mom was here.' Vicky thought to herself as she hugged Taylor, trying to sooth her like Vicky's mother had tried to comfort Vicky after being teased back before she'd triggered, or after a fight with Dean. 'Or Aunt Sarah, she'd know what to say to help Taylor. I just punch stuff. Or Dean! Dean would be a good choice. He's got his empathy, he could help figure out what to say.'

Vicky wished she'd known Taylor longer. If she had, she might have had a better idea of what to do to help calm Taylor down, but she had to make do, and hope she didn't screw stuff up even worse.

"Taylor... Taylor..." Vicky tried to get Taylor's attention. "I admit, you look kind of... unique..." Vicky winced at her word choice. "But, I can tell you still look beautiful, even with all the... weird stuff."

"Yeah, right." Taylor said, after she'd calmed down a bit. "Pull the other one, it's got bells on."

"I'm serious!" Vicky said. "Have you looked at yourself?"

"No, I try not to. Not without my disguise power." Taylor admitted.

"Come on." Vicky guided Taylor back into the bathroom, and positioned her in front of the mirror. "Now look. If you ignore the third eye, and everything else, you're at least as good looking as I am." Vicky positioned herself so that they could be seen side by side in the mirror.

"Yeah, maybe." Taylor muttered, having calmned down. "But I still have them, and with them, I still look like a freak!"

Taylor took a deep breath, and used her Stranger power to resume her normal appearance.

"Sorry, but I don't think I'm up to going window shopping with you after all." Taylor said.

"Taylor... if you want, I can try and see if Amy can help." Vicky offered. "I know she hasn't been able to help with the Case 53s, but... maybe she'll have better luck with your power?" Vicky gave a sickly smile, wishing her aura could induce something besides fear or awe in people, like happiness.

Taylor closed her eyes. "Thanks, but... Thanks."

And with that, Taylor left the Dallon household, with Vicky watching as she walked down the street, and out of sight.
 
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@MadGreenSon

I don't disagree with anything you or Ryuugi said. However, I always ask 'why?', until I get to something irreducible, something that is, "its own metric and its own source". Why does Taylor's crazy train have no breaks? Why is her attitude always, "whatever it takes"? Why is she both able and willing to give up everything to accomplish her goals?

Because she didn't have what she wanted, and nothing she did have ever really mattered to her.

Then what did she really want, throughout the whole story, and what did she never have, ever, even at her most powerful?

"Oryx, my King, my friend. Kick back. Relax. Shrug off that armor, set down that blade. Roll your burdened shoulders and let down your guard. This is a place of life, a place of peace."

She never had this, and it was all she ever wanted. The trio had taught her to see in terms of threats, and no one ever broke her of the habit, so she saw them everywhere. The Undersiders were a lie, until they weren't, but then there was Leviathan, followed by the Slaughterhouse Nine, and during both of those things there was also Coil, and then there was the PRT, and then there was the end of the world. Every place that might have been safe was under threat. Every place that might have been safe wouldn't last, and she knew it.

We can continue this discussion, but I think we have derailed the thread enough, so if you wish keep discussing this, feel free to PM me.
 
MadGreenSon said:
It started on her first night out and never stopped until she got two bullets in her head. Taylor is batshit crazy.
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No. It led her down the garden path at first. Everything seemed a matter of a moral sticking point. Everything seemed like the right decision at the time.
She called every time because she was desperate and couldn't find better solutions which her control freak passenger deemed acceptable. But it takes the events of canon Worm to distill her down into Skitter, then to Weaver, then into Khepri. Was that potential in her? Yes. Did it have to be gradually brought forth from her? Also yes.

That is my interpretation, admittedly. But it's the one this quest's version of her is based upon. You can disagree, but if you expect your belief that she's that fundamentally unhinged in lieu of all the external influences which prompted her to act that way in canon to be reflected in the quest, you're going to be disappointed.

I'm not running MemeticSkitter Quest either. Though...that could be quite fun. If about as prone to off-the-rails bullshit as Infernal!Tinker Quest (aka Defiler!Leet Quest) would be.

the DragonBard said:
Shorter than I wanted, but here it is.

Breakdown

The first indication that Victoria 'Vicky/Glory Girl' Dallon had something was going on, was when she heard the crack of breaking glass while waiting for her friend, Taylor Hebert outside of the bathroom at the Dallon house.

"Taylor?" Vicky called out. "Are you alright?"

She could hear soft weeping from inside. "Are you OK?"

Vicky rattled the door, seeing if it would open, but it was locked tight.

The weeping continued.

Vicky pounded on the door, though she held back just enough to not break a hole in it, only a stray thought of how much her mother had yelled the last time she'd accidentally broken a door stayed her hand.

"Taylor, let me in, please."

This went on for another few minutes, and Vicky was seriously beginning to consider tearing the door off and dealing with her mother's yelling, when she heard the click of the lock being opened, and the door opened, revealing Taylor in her transformed state.

"Sorry." Taylor sniffed. "Accidentally broken the glass." Taylor nodded at the trash can, indicating she'd already put the pieces of the broken glass in there.

"Taylor... is something the matter?" Vicky asked.

Taylor definitely looked and acted like she'd been crying just recently, as Vicky could attest, having bawled her eyes out a number of times after her near legendary break-ups with Dean over something or another.

Taylor nodded.

"Um... do you... wanna talk about it?"

Taylor took a deep breath, and let it out.

"I just was washing my hands, and I glanced at the mirror, and it suddenly hit me, that wasn't who I was anymore. So, I dropped my disguise, and looked at myself, how I 'really' look." Taylor started tearing up again. "You know, before this, I looked a lot like my mother? Especially the hair, it was the one part I was really proud of, that made me look like a girl, and now..." Taylor started crying. "And now I look like a monster." Taylor covered her face with her hands.

Vicky quickly hugged Taylor.

"No, you don't look like a monster." Vicky tried to assure Taylor.

"OF COURSE I DO!" Taylor yelled. "LOOK AT MY ARMS! MY LEGS!" Taylor thrust out her arms, and then gestured to her legs. "AND I HAVE A FUCKING THIRD EYE! I'M A FREAK, A MONSTER!" Taylor collapsed to the floor as she started bawling.

'Damn it, I wish Mom was here.' Vicky thought to herself as she hugged Taylor, trying to sooth her like Vicky's mother had tried to comfort Vicky after being teased back before she'd triggered, or after a fight with Dean. 'Or Aunt Sarah, she'd know what to say to help Taylor. I just punch stuff. Or Dean! Dean would be a good choice. He's got his empathy, he could help figure out what to say.'

Vicky wished she'd known Taylor longer. If she had, she might have had a better idea of what to do to help calm Taylor down, but she had to make do, and hope she didn't screw stuff up even worse.

"Taylor... Taylor..." Vicky tried to get Taylor's attention. "I admit, you look kind of... unique..." Vicky winced at her word choice. "But, I can tell you still look beautiful, even with all the... weird stuff."

"Yeah, right." Taylor said, after she'd calmed down a bit. "Pull the other one, it's got bells on."

"I'm serious!" Vicky said. "Have you looked at yourself?"

"No, I try not to. Not without my disguise power." Taylor admitted.

"Come on." Vicky guided Taylor back into the bathroom, and positioned her in front of the mirror. "Now look. If you ignore the third eye, and everything else, you're at least as good looking as I am." Vicky positioned herself so that they could be seen side by side in the mirror.

"Yeah, maybe." Taylor muttered, having calmned down. "But I still have them, and with them, I still look like a freak!"

Taylor took a deep breath, and used her Stranger power to resume her normal appearance.

"Sorry, but I don't think I'm up to going window shopping with you after all." Taylor said.

"Taylor... if you want, I can try and see if Amy can help." Vicky offered. "I know she hasn't been able to help with the Case 53s, but... maybe she'll have better luck with your power?" Vicky gave a sickly smile, wishing her aura could induce something besides fear or awe in people, like happiness.

Taylor closed her eyes. "Thanks, but... Thanks."

And with that, Taylor left the Dallon household, with Vicky watching as she walked down the street, and out of sight.
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+2 XP.
 
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sainen said:
I know.
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Then please don't try to shut down a discussion in the thread simply because it irritates you or is in disagreement with you. Until tomorrow when the vote closes it will be germane to the discussion at hand. If it continues to occupy focus past that it will no longer be on topic.
 
Thief of Words said:
Then please don't try to shut down a discussion in the thread simply because it irritates you or is in disagreement with you. Until tomorrow when the vote closes it will be germane to the discussion at hand. If it continues to occupy focus past that it will no longer be on topic.
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AFAICT it was a fundamental difference of opinion. I expressed my opinion of Unintended Consequences several hours ago; evidently DragonBard has an equal and opposite reaction.
 
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