- Location
- Canada
Quite possibly. But they absolutely won't be answered if I don't ask these questions. And even a "I don't want to answer" is information, because it's not a no.
Magical Girl Escalation Taylor (Worm/Nanoha)
- Thread starter Silently Watches
- Start date
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
Nobody knows.
Nobody knows.
Certainly not right now.
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
General FYI.
As I'm sure many of you are aware, the world (or at least my country) is going to hell in a handbasket again as far as COVID is concerned. The hospital where I work is going to be demanding more of my time with cases on the rise, and that means my drive to write is likely also going to take a nosedive. Neither Magical Girl Escalation Taylor nor Spells in Silence will be going on hiatus per se, but I just wanted to let everybody know that updates will be even more sporadic than they already were the last few months. I may also wind up writing more for one work than the other depending on where my muse is when I do have the time and wherewithal to write; not a guarantee but a possibility.
I'll still be around, and I'll still reply to questions and comments, but I do ask for a little patience.
As I'm sure many of you are aware, the world (or at least my country) is going to hell in a handbasket again as far as COVID is concerned. The hospital where I work is going to be demanding more of my time with cases on the rise, and that means my drive to write is likely also going to take a nosedive. Neither Magical Girl Escalation Taylor nor Spells in Silence will be going on hiatus per se, but I just wanted to let everybody know that updates will be even more sporadic than they already were the last few months. I may also wind up writing more for one work than the other depending on where my muse is when I do have the time and wherewithal to write; not a guarantee but a possibility.
I'll still be around, and I'll still reply to questions and comments, but I do ask for a little patience.
We perfectly understand.
RL comes first.
Thanks for warning us, and keep safe.
RL comes first.
Thanks for warning us, and keep safe.
- Location
- Georgia
Thank you for letting us know, though I think we're going in a wheelbarrow, really. "Dainty" is something most Americans ain't.
Of course, knowing there's likely nothing coming won't stop me from compulsively refreshing every few hours. Somebody might comment, after all, and I can't rely on the notification thing to update without a refresh, though at least I only have to do it once for each forum, rather than each story. Be well. Stay safe. We'll be waiting when you're ready
zero_traveler
Revolver Ocelot
- Location
- Revolver Ocelot
So, I had a snip-thing a few days ago, with Laura learning about her Armed Device and Cartridges and such, mostly based around a scene of Taylor showing her one of her own cartridges, and Kayleigh grabbing Laura's arm when she tries to put it into her Device, with a joke/misunderstanding about Calibers and how she "Thought (she) taught you better about putting the wrong bullet in a firearm" (Also a bit of slapstick on Kayleigh seeming much stronger than she usually is)
Possibly because Taylor's Cartridges look like Rifle rounds, where as Laura's use the much more 'Belkan' Shot-shell design.
But I lost it, it went out of my head and I've not been able to recapture it. So here's the idea, anyway.
Possibly because Taylor's Cartridges look like Rifle rounds, where as Laura's use the much more 'Belkan' Shot-shell design.
But I lost it, it went out of my head and I've not been able to recapture it. So here's the idea, anyway.
- Location
- Canada
Sounds like a neat idea and here's hoping someone else can possibly pick it up, or you find the wherewithall to recreate it yourself. Sometimes your train of though just derails completely and you're left with no survivors and an ecological hazard in your mind. Before I started my current series, I had a brief idea about Aisha ending up with the TSAB, where her powers are effectively irrelevant. Came up with the title "Stranger in a Strange Land." and then realized I just couldn't envision it any further. Anyone else want to try something with this concept, feel free.
Apologies for the delay with my Sovereign series, this last month has been draining for me in several ways. The next part should be completed in a week or so, and the final two parts should be out before the end of the year.
zero_traveler
Revolver Ocelot
- Location
- Revolver Ocelot
I wasn't sure exactly what had happened. I had been fighting those weird mages that had shown up, and all of a sudden, everything started screaming at me to DODGE. I threw myself to the side into open air and something smashed through the empty space I left behind, shedding heat I could feel even through my natural fire immunity.
"Hoh? You've got good instincts." A feminine voice cut through the silence, and the other mages, still surrounding me, backed off. They still had me contained, but looked to be giving this newcomer space.
She was tall, with an unnaturally bright, strawberry-blonde hairstyle. Armor that was purple and gunmetal grey, and in her hands was...
Steam hissed in a sudden gout from the hilt of her sword, but I couldn't hear anything over the sound of Perfect Storm's mechanical screaming.
BELKANS! KILL THEM, MISTRESS! ERADICATE THEM NOW! VIOLENT DESTRUCTIVE DOGS!
She was saying something, as I raised Storm back into position, but my Device's voice drowned out everything, as she raised her sheathe and sword, and joined the two together into a massive mechanical bow. Tongues of flame erupted from her shoulders as she drew back a single fiery arrow, blinding with it's white hot radiance.
"Fly, Pheonix."
"Hoh? You've got good instincts." A feminine voice cut through the silence, and the other mages, still surrounding me, backed off. They still had me contained, but looked to be giving this newcomer space.
She was tall, with an unnaturally bright, strawberry-blonde hairstyle. Armor that was purple and gunmetal grey, and in her hands was...
Steam hissed in a sudden gout from the hilt of her sword, but I couldn't hear anything over the sound of Perfect Storm's mechanical screaming.
BELKANS! KILL THEM, MISTRESS! ERADICATE THEM NOW! VIOLENT DESTRUCTIVE DOGS!
She was saying something, as I raised Storm back into position, but my Device's voice drowned out everything, as she raised her sheathe and sword, and joined the two together into a massive mechanical bow. Tongues of flame erupted from her shoulders as she drew back a single fiery arrow, blinding with it's white hot radiance.
"Fly, Pheonix."
Last edited:
Realign 14.22
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
[] Babysitting – One of the members of Operation Pentagram has a favor to ask of you. A somewhat embarrassing favor.
Realign 14.22
Wednesday, August 31
The drive through the neighborhood is quiet, the music turned down and Samantha focused on the directions you gave her before you set out. You appreciate that considering your mind is whirling through what little you know as the houses and streets of Olde Kensington slide past you. The idea that a PRT agent would live on the fringes of Wolfhead territory surprises you, but you also know that they certainly do not spend all their time in the PRT office day and night. They would have to live in a home somewhere like a normal person and therefore run the risk of living outside the area that the PRT nominally – and in recent days, in truth as well – controls.
That runs double when it is not just a single agent, but an agent and her husband and her kid.
A twitch of your fingers, and the email you received yesterday enlarges again to the point of readability. Not that you need to read it again. What it asks is relatively simple. Agent Tanya Abigail, also known as Alpha like she introduced herself when you and they fought together against the Wolfheads, has a daughter. A daughter who somehow discovered magic, though the email does not go into detail about how, and is unhappy about not being able to show off what she can do and how to do it to all her friends at school. She is also at the age where parents do not understand anything about her life, but the agent believes she might listen to a teenager like yourself.
You cannot help but wonder if the agent might not have more faith in your powers of communication than is warranted.
The car slows to a stop in front of a nice enough townhouse, and Samantha turns to you. "I'll be close by if you need help. I don't think you will, though."
"Neither do I," you eventually reply. "Not because I'm in danger, anyway. Out of my depth is another story." Opening the door, you step out and close it behind you. Nothing to do but go forward, you suppose. You ascend the short staircase and knock four times on the door.
Less than a minute later, the door opens to show a woman with short-cut blonde hair and suspicious blue eyes that sweep up and down your form. You can all but see the wheels in her mind turning as she tries to match your current appearance with your Barrier Jacket and confirm that you are the real Calamity Witch and not some random girl knocking on her door. You decide to make it easier on her and spare her any embarrassment at the same time, so you say with a weak smile, "Good afternoon, Alpha. Your message didn't give an exact time to come over. I hope I'm not too early."
The instant her callsign leaves your lips, you can see the tension in her shoulders fall away. "No, now is fine," she tells you as she steps backwards out of the doorway. "Please, come in."
You let her close the door behind you once you step over the threshold, though she does not move past you to touch it. The casual display of telekinesis is both nice to see and also makes you think you know the answer to one of your questions. Nevertheless you ask, "How did your daughter discover that she had magic in the first place? That isn't something most middle schoolers would actually think is real."
The scowl that twists her expression tells you your first guess, that her daughter learned it from watching her, is dead wrong. "My Guardian Beast did not appear to understand that when he was told he needed to pretend to be a regular dog, that meant he also should not respond to Lizzie when she accidentally spoke to him telepathically. He walked her through making one of her own."
Oh. Oh, no.
"After that, there was no way to keep it a secret from her. It wasn't as if she would believe me if I told her that it wasn't real." The agent sighs. "Not that I really want to lie to her like that, anyway. I'm just worried about her safety. If people found out that she has these kind of abilities…"
You nod your head. You can see where she is coming from. "Have you thought about enrolling her in the Wards?" Alpha's scowl grows darker, and you hastily backpedal, "Not speaking for or against them, but I'm curious. They would offer more people to keep her safe if the secret did get out."
"They would, but… That isn't my preferred option. Let's leave it at that." You nod, more than happy to step off this sore spot. She leads you to the kitchen and dining area, and sitting at the table with a pencil and paper is a younger girl not yet in her teens with bouncy blonde pigtails and wearing a bright pink shirt over jeans. Another girl sits beside her watching her do her homework. For a moment you think maybe it is a friend of hers, but a second look at the greyish-blue feathers growing out of her head just like Tim's own Beasts possess tells you that is not the case. Alpha's voice shakes you from your thoughts. "Lizzie, I have somebody I'd like you to meet."
The girl's eyes rise towards you, and you can see a look of worry flash over her face an instant before her gaze flickers towards the Guardian Beast. "Uh…"
"Hi, Lizzie," you say before she has to figure out what lie to tell a stranger about the bird-girl at her side. You reach out your hand towards one of the chairs, and much like Alpha did with the door you slide the chair out from under the table with only a wave of your hand. This catches the girls' attention, just as you meant it to do. Settling yourself into the seat, you give her your best attempt at a winning smile before looking to the Guardian Beast. "And you must be her partner. I'm Taylor."
"Hi!" the former bird says with a cheerful wave. "I'm Robin! Because I was a bird, and robins are a type of bird even if I wasn't really a robin before, you know?"
"Are you a cape? One of the Wards?" Lizzie asks, though you cannot miss the hope that lurks behind her eyes. Hope that you are a Ward, or hope that you are not?
Rather than figure it out, you decide it is better just to answer her honestly. "Nope, not a Ward. Not even a parahuman. I'm a mage, just like you and your mom are."
That hope and excitement flares fully to life. "That's so cool! What kind of magic can you do? Do you have a Guardian too? Did you bring her with you? When did you start learning magic? Were you younger than me? Do you know other mages? Mom says we're really rare or something. Are your mom and dad magic too? Oh, did Mom ask you to be my magic tutor and teach me spells?!"
The river of questions pouring out of her mouth catches you by surprise and sends your head reeling. You remember that you had been a bit of a motormouth back before you lost your mom and Emma betrayed you, but was this really what it was like to be on the other side of the situation? "I… That's a lot of questions."
At least the girl has the decency to blush, just a little bit.
Perfect Storm helpfully starts replaying her questions at a slower speed, allowing you to answer as best you can. "I can do a few different spells. Stuff like telekinesis, like you already saw, along with other things. I can fly and teleport, and I have a few spells if I get in a fight." As you describe your abilities, an explanation for Alpha's response to your question about the Wards comes to mind. Maybe she does not want Lizzie to join the Wards because as a PRT agent she knows what a fight is really like and does not want Lizzie involved in them. She already told you she cares about Lizzie's safety. Being a cape is many things, but safe is not one of them. "I do have a Guardian Beast, but she isn't your age or even my age. She's older than us, closer to your mom's age. I started learning magic not too long ago myself, back in January, but I had a special device that taught me a lot so I could learn faster."
Lizzie pouts at that statement. You do not have to ask to know that she has been stuck with experimentation just like the Adepts were.
"I know a few other mages, and your mom's right about that. There aren't many of us at all, not those of us who know we have magic. I got my magic from my mom just like you did, but she died several years ago. We didn't know we had magic back then."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
You give her a small smile. "It's okay. It happened a long time ago. As for why I'm here, your mom didn't ask me to tutor you." Her face falls, and you can't help yourself but change directions slightly. "Though if she wants me to, I could probably come by from time to time. Actually she said something about you wanting to teach other kids at school magic?"
"Uh-huh," she said with a rapid nod of her head. "If there aren't a lot of us, and most of us don't know we are magic, we should be looking for all the mages we can find! It isn't fair that other kids never get to learn magic like us. They should be able to do fun things like we can."
"What kind of magic would you show them?" you ask. Better to change the subject than try to argue. Partly because getting into an argument wouldn't help, and partly because you can see where she is coming from. If your highest priority was being 'fair', was giving those with Linker Cores access to the capabilities they were born with, then intentionally withholding knowledge of magic would be cruel. It just does not take into account the consequences that would inevitably follow.
Your question earns you a smile, and Robin shifts into the shape of a pigeon before taking off from her own chair and flying through the house. A minute later she returns with a Barbie doll clutched in her talons. The doll hits the table, and Lizzie holds out hands that are already surrounded in a pale blue glow. Flashes and flickers of light leap from her fingertips to the joints of the doll. The plastic twitches, and then the doll moves her arms to the table and pushes herself to her feet.
A look of amazement finds itself on your face while you watch the doll dance and twirl, and you do not try to hide it once you realize. This is an incredible display. You have many abilities that are more impressive in the field of combat, but your telekinetic talents would be hard-pressed to duplicate this. "That is very cool," you tell her when the doll takes a bow.
Lizzie beams brightly.
You stick your pinkie finger out and smile lightly when the doll straightens up to shake it. "I understand why you'd want to show your friends. And you're right, in a way. It isn't fair that you have this knowledge and have to keep it from them, the ones who have magic anyway."
"I know! I'm trying to be a good friend, and Mom and Dad won't let me."
"But." You hold up a finger. "I can also see why they don't want you to show what you can do. Only a few people know the difference between capes and mages. If you showed people that you can do stuff like this," you say with a wave at the doll, "villains and other bad people would think you're a cape. They would want you to help them commit crimes and hurt others, and they would try to hurt your mom and dad to make you do it if you said no."
The girl scoffs. "Mom and Dad could take them."
This time you do work to keep your expression off your face. You don't think laughing at her complete faith in her parents would help anything. "Sure, they could. But is it fair to them to make them constantly have to keep their eyes out for people trying to hurt you or them? Your mom already does that at work, and this way she would never have time to do anything with you because she'd be too busy. You would never be able to go to the movies or go out to eat or even go back to school to see your friends. It wouldn't be safe, and that's what is most important to them. Keeping you safe."
"I don't like it," she says with a pout, he arms crossed over her chest.
"I wouldn't either, but that's how things are right now. It's not right, it's not fair, and your mom is doing everything she can to change the world and make it where you would be able to show off everything you're capable of like you want to. But there's still a lot she has to do before that happens. Do you think you can wait and keep all this a secret until she says it's safe and it's okay?"
"…I guess so."
You look over your shoulder only to find that Alpha walked off at some point while the two of you were having your conversation. "Let me go talk to your mom, okay? I'm interrupting your homework enough as it is."
Lizzie is not exactly happy about having to return to her homework, but she does so with a grumble. As you stand up, she asks, "Are you going to come back and teach me some magic?"
You did say that might be on the table, didn't you? "I'll ask your mom." She nods silently, and you walk past her into what you presume is the living room. That is where Alpha sits on a sofa, far enough away that she is out of sight but definitely close enough so she can listen in. «I think she gets why she can't do magic at school now,» you tell her. No need to reveal your underhanded plan to get Lizzie to do what her mom wants when she can potentially hear what is said in the other room. «She doesn't like it, but I think she'll do it. You probably also heard, but she asked me a couple of times to teach her magic. I'll leave that decision up to you.»
A relieved sigh quietly escapes her. Maybe she was not listening in? "Thank you."
"Happy to help."
Your response makes her face twitch for a second. "Can you… sit down for a minute? I want to talk to you about something else you can help with."
Something else? Now you are curious, and you join her on the sofa.
"Thanks to Cricket, the PRT managed to get some actionable intelligence about the Wolfheads. We're preparing an assault on their main base in the next couple of days, and hopefully we can get all of them together and crush them once and for all."
Crushing the Nazis in a single strike? That would be a beautiful sight, and you can imagine that the PRT would no doubt try to consolidate their influence in the former Wolfheads territory as fast as they could to keep Winter Hill and Fairyland from carving out chunks to add to their own territories. Still… "That is great, but why are you telling me? This sounds like something the PRT wants to keep quiet until it's too late to do anything about it."
"They do," she agrees with a nod of her head. "I'm telling you about it because you and your team impressed us. You girls look like capes, but you don't act like it, and several people mentioned they wouldn't mind teaming up with you again if our paths crossed. You may have your own reasons for taking down the Wolfheads, I don't know, but if you wanted to take part in our operation, you'd be welcome."
"That… is appreciated." And surprising. It is nice to hear that the PRT likes you, especially with how burnt your bridges are with Chevalier and Miss Militia, but it is still strange. Also strange is that she thinks you and the rest of Arcana do not act like capes considering two, now three of you were parahumans before becoming mages and you modeled yourself after heroes as well. "I'd have to ask the others, but if they agree we'd be happy to join you. I need to ask, though; what do you mean when you say we don't act like capes?"
A small grimace appears on Alpha's face. "That is tricky to explain. I've worked in a couple of different branches before coming to Philadelphia, and overall capes aren't easy to work with. They aren't cruel, not like that, but I and many other troopers have noticed that they tend to be standoffish and… politely condescending might be the best way to put it. It isn't all of them; the staff we got from Brockton Bay had nothing but good things to say about Assault and Clockblocker and Vista. But there are a lot of capes who tend to treat us as though we only exist to clean up their messes, that we would be dead weight were we ever to get in a real fight with another cape.
"Your team wasn't like that. You were willing to actually work together. Instead of keeping to yourselves even if you were following our lead, you were on board from the start with mixing our teams together. The Protectorate never would have done that, and independent capes? That would be impossible. Immediately checking to make sure we were all safe after the building collapsed on us didn't hurt, either.
"I'm not the only one who feels that way. The others agree, and Charlie even outright said that between Chevalier and Miss Militia or you girls, he'd rather work with you every time without question." She shrugs. "I don't know if it's because you're fellow mages instead of capes or because you're just better people, but it's a nice change. We won't count on you to join us every time we head out, just as you wouldn't expect the same, but if you ever want to work together on an operation you won't hear argument from us."
Magical Potentiate list updated. In case you're wondering, Lizzie would be 110% on board with Plan Pokemon.
Time for Tim's build vote! You have SIX slots to work with.
Realign 14.22
Wednesday, August 31
The drive through the neighborhood is quiet, the music turned down and Samantha focused on the directions you gave her before you set out. You appreciate that considering your mind is whirling through what little you know as the houses and streets of Olde Kensington slide past you. The idea that a PRT agent would live on the fringes of Wolfhead territory surprises you, but you also know that they certainly do not spend all their time in the PRT office day and night. They would have to live in a home somewhere like a normal person and therefore run the risk of living outside the area that the PRT nominally – and in recent days, in truth as well – controls.
That runs double when it is not just a single agent, but an agent and her husband and her kid.
A twitch of your fingers, and the email you received yesterday enlarges again to the point of readability. Not that you need to read it again. What it asks is relatively simple. Agent Tanya Abigail, also known as Alpha like she introduced herself when you and they fought together against the Wolfheads, has a daughter. A daughter who somehow discovered magic, though the email does not go into detail about how, and is unhappy about not being able to show off what she can do and how to do it to all her friends at school. She is also at the age where parents do not understand anything about her life, but the agent believes she might listen to a teenager like yourself.
You cannot help but wonder if the agent might not have more faith in your powers of communication than is warranted.
The car slows to a stop in front of a nice enough townhouse, and Samantha turns to you. "I'll be close by if you need help. I don't think you will, though."
"Neither do I," you eventually reply. "Not because I'm in danger, anyway. Out of my depth is another story." Opening the door, you step out and close it behind you. Nothing to do but go forward, you suppose. You ascend the short staircase and knock four times on the door.
Less than a minute later, the door opens to show a woman with short-cut blonde hair and suspicious blue eyes that sweep up and down your form. You can all but see the wheels in her mind turning as she tries to match your current appearance with your Barrier Jacket and confirm that you are the real Calamity Witch and not some random girl knocking on her door. You decide to make it easier on her and spare her any embarrassment at the same time, so you say with a weak smile, "Good afternoon, Alpha. Your message didn't give an exact time to come over. I hope I'm not too early."
The instant her callsign leaves your lips, you can see the tension in her shoulders fall away. "No, now is fine," she tells you as she steps backwards out of the doorway. "Please, come in."
You let her close the door behind you once you step over the threshold, though she does not move past you to touch it. The casual display of telekinesis is both nice to see and also makes you think you know the answer to one of your questions. Nevertheless you ask, "How did your daughter discover that she had magic in the first place? That isn't something most middle schoolers would actually think is real."
The scowl that twists her expression tells you your first guess, that her daughter learned it from watching her, is dead wrong. "My Guardian Beast did not appear to understand that when he was told he needed to pretend to be a regular dog, that meant he also should not respond to Lizzie when she accidentally spoke to him telepathically. He walked her through making one of her own."
Oh. Oh, no.
"After that, there was no way to keep it a secret from her. It wasn't as if she would believe me if I told her that it wasn't real." The agent sighs. "Not that I really want to lie to her like that, anyway. I'm just worried about her safety. If people found out that she has these kind of abilities…"
You nod your head. You can see where she is coming from. "Have you thought about enrolling her in the Wards?" Alpha's scowl grows darker, and you hastily backpedal, "Not speaking for or against them, but I'm curious. They would offer more people to keep her safe if the secret did get out."
"They would, but… That isn't my preferred option. Let's leave it at that." You nod, more than happy to step off this sore spot. She leads you to the kitchen and dining area, and sitting at the table with a pencil and paper is a younger girl not yet in her teens with bouncy blonde pigtails and wearing a bright pink shirt over jeans. Another girl sits beside her watching her do her homework. For a moment you think maybe it is a friend of hers, but a second look at the greyish-blue feathers growing out of her head just like Tim's own Beasts possess tells you that is not the case. Alpha's voice shakes you from your thoughts. "Lizzie, I have somebody I'd like you to meet."
The girl's eyes rise towards you, and you can see a look of worry flash over her face an instant before her gaze flickers towards the Guardian Beast. "Uh…"
"Hi, Lizzie," you say before she has to figure out what lie to tell a stranger about the bird-girl at her side. You reach out your hand towards one of the chairs, and much like Alpha did with the door you slide the chair out from under the table with only a wave of your hand. This catches the girls' attention, just as you meant it to do. Settling yourself into the seat, you give her your best attempt at a winning smile before looking to the Guardian Beast. "And you must be her partner. I'm Taylor."
"Hi!" the former bird says with a cheerful wave. "I'm Robin! Because I was a bird, and robins are a type of bird even if I wasn't really a robin before, you know?"
"Are you a cape? One of the Wards?" Lizzie asks, though you cannot miss the hope that lurks behind her eyes. Hope that you are a Ward, or hope that you are not?
Rather than figure it out, you decide it is better just to answer her honestly. "Nope, not a Ward. Not even a parahuman. I'm a mage, just like you and your mom are."
That hope and excitement flares fully to life. "That's so cool! What kind of magic can you do? Do you have a Guardian too? Did you bring her with you? When did you start learning magic? Were you younger than me? Do you know other mages? Mom says we're really rare or something. Are your mom and dad magic too? Oh, did Mom ask you to be my magic tutor and teach me spells?!"
The river of questions pouring out of her mouth catches you by surprise and sends your head reeling. You remember that you had been a bit of a motormouth back before you lost your mom and Emma betrayed you, but was this really what it was like to be on the other side of the situation? "I… That's a lot of questions."
At least the girl has the decency to blush, just a little bit.
Perfect Storm helpfully starts replaying her questions at a slower speed, allowing you to answer as best you can. "I can do a few different spells. Stuff like telekinesis, like you already saw, along with other things. I can fly and teleport, and I have a few spells if I get in a fight." As you describe your abilities, an explanation for Alpha's response to your question about the Wards comes to mind. Maybe she does not want Lizzie to join the Wards because as a PRT agent she knows what a fight is really like and does not want Lizzie involved in them. She already told you she cares about Lizzie's safety. Being a cape is many things, but safe is not one of them. "I do have a Guardian Beast, but she isn't your age or even my age. She's older than us, closer to your mom's age. I started learning magic not too long ago myself, back in January, but I had a special device that taught me a lot so I could learn faster."
Lizzie pouts at that statement. You do not have to ask to know that she has been stuck with experimentation just like the Adepts were.
"I know a few other mages, and your mom's right about that. There aren't many of us at all, not those of us who know we have magic. I got my magic from my mom just like you did, but she died several years ago. We didn't know we had magic back then."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
You give her a small smile. "It's okay. It happened a long time ago. As for why I'm here, your mom didn't ask me to tutor you." Her face falls, and you can't help yourself but change directions slightly. "Though if she wants me to, I could probably come by from time to time. Actually she said something about you wanting to teach other kids at school magic?"
"Uh-huh," she said with a rapid nod of her head. "If there aren't a lot of us, and most of us don't know we are magic, we should be looking for all the mages we can find! It isn't fair that other kids never get to learn magic like us. They should be able to do fun things like we can."
"What kind of magic would you show them?" you ask. Better to change the subject than try to argue. Partly because getting into an argument wouldn't help, and partly because you can see where she is coming from. If your highest priority was being 'fair', was giving those with Linker Cores access to the capabilities they were born with, then intentionally withholding knowledge of magic would be cruel. It just does not take into account the consequences that would inevitably follow.
Your question earns you a smile, and Robin shifts into the shape of a pigeon before taking off from her own chair and flying through the house. A minute later she returns with a Barbie doll clutched in her talons. The doll hits the table, and Lizzie holds out hands that are already surrounded in a pale blue glow. Flashes and flickers of light leap from her fingertips to the joints of the doll. The plastic twitches, and then the doll moves her arms to the table and pushes herself to her feet.
A look of amazement finds itself on your face while you watch the doll dance and twirl, and you do not try to hide it once you realize. This is an incredible display. You have many abilities that are more impressive in the field of combat, but your telekinetic talents would be hard-pressed to duplicate this. "That is very cool," you tell her when the doll takes a bow.
Lizzie beams brightly.
You stick your pinkie finger out and smile lightly when the doll straightens up to shake it. "I understand why you'd want to show your friends. And you're right, in a way. It isn't fair that you have this knowledge and have to keep it from them, the ones who have magic anyway."
"I know! I'm trying to be a good friend, and Mom and Dad won't let me."
"But." You hold up a finger. "I can also see why they don't want you to show what you can do. Only a few people know the difference between capes and mages. If you showed people that you can do stuff like this," you say with a wave at the doll, "villains and other bad people would think you're a cape. They would want you to help them commit crimes and hurt others, and they would try to hurt your mom and dad to make you do it if you said no."
The girl scoffs. "Mom and Dad could take them."
This time you do work to keep your expression off your face. You don't think laughing at her complete faith in her parents would help anything. "Sure, they could. But is it fair to them to make them constantly have to keep their eyes out for people trying to hurt you or them? Your mom already does that at work, and this way she would never have time to do anything with you because she'd be too busy. You would never be able to go to the movies or go out to eat or even go back to school to see your friends. It wouldn't be safe, and that's what is most important to them. Keeping you safe."
"I don't like it," she says with a pout, he arms crossed over her chest.
"I wouldn't either, but that's how things are right now. It's not right, it's not fair, and your mom is doing everything she can to change the world and make it where you would be able to show off everything you're capable of like you want to. But there's still a lot she has to do before that happens. Do you think you can wait and keep all this a secret until she says it's safe and it's okay?"
"…I guess so."
You look over your shoulder only to find that Alpha walked off at some point while the two of you were having your conversation. "Let me go talk to your mom, okay? I'm interrupting your homework enough as it is."
Lizzie is not exactly happy about having to return to her homework, but she does so with a grumble. As you stand up, she asks, "Are you going to come back and teach me some magic?"
You did say that might be on the table, didn't you? "I'll ask your mom." She nods silently, and you walk past her into what you presume is the living room. That is where Alpha sits on a sofa, far enough away that she is out of sight but definitely close enough so she can listen in. «I think she gets why she can't do magic at school now,» you tell her. No need to reveal your underhanded plan to get Lizzie to do what her mom wants when she can potentially hear what is said in the other room. «She doesn't like it, but I think she'll do it. You probably also heard, but she asked me a couple of times to teach her magic. I'll leave that decision up to you.»
A relieved sigh quietly escapes her. Maybe she was not listening in? "Thank you."
"Happy to help."
Your response makes her face twitch for a second. "Can you… sit down for a minute? I want to talk to you about something else you can help with."
Something else? Now you are curious, and you join her on the sofa.
"Thanks to Cricket, the PRT managed to get some actionable intelligence about the Wolfheads. We're preparing an assault on their main base in the next couple of days, and hopefully we can get all of them together and crush them once and for all."
Crushing the Nazis in a single strike? That would be a beautiful sight, and you can imagine that the PRT would no doubt try to consolidate their influence in the former Wolfheads territory as fast as they could to keep Winter Hill and Fairyland from carving out chunks to add to their own territories. Still… "That is great, but why are you telling me? This sounds like something the PRT wants to keep quiet until it's too late to do anything about it."
"They do," she agrees with a nod of her head. "I'm telling you about it because you and your team impressed us. You girls look like capes, but you don't act like it, and several people mentioned they wouldn't mind teaming up with you again if our paths crossed. You may have your own reasons for taking down the Wolfheads, I don't know, but if you wanted to take part in our operation, you'd be welcome."
"That… is appreciated." And surprising. It is nice to hear that the PRT likes you, especially with how burnt your bridges are with Chevalier and Miss Militia, but it is still strange. Also strange is that she thinks you and the rest of Arcana do not act like capes considering two, now three of you were parahumans before becoming mages and you modeled yourself after heroes as well. "I'd have to ask the others, but if they agree we'd be happy to join you. I need to ask, though; what do you mean when you say we don't act like capes?"
A small grimace appears on Alpha's face. "That is tricky to explain. I've worked in a couple of different branches before coming to Philadelphia, and overall capes aren't easy to work with. They aren't cruel, not like that, but I and many other troopers have noticed that they tend to be standoffish and… politely condescending might be the best way to put it. It isn't all of them; the staff we got from Brockton Bay had nothing but good things to say about Assault and Clockblocker and Vista. But there are a lot of capes who tend to treat us as though we only exist to clean up their messes, that we would be dead weight were we ever to get in a real fight with another cape.
"Your team wasn't like that. You were willing to actually work together. Instead of keeping to yourselves even if you were following our lead, you were on board from the start with mixing our teams together. The Protectorate never would have done that, and independent capes? That would be impossible. Immediately checking to make sure we were all safe after the building collapsed on us didn't hurt, either.
"I'm not the only one who feels that way. The others agree, and Charlie even outright said that between Chevalier and Miss Militia or you girls, he'd rather work with you every time without question." She shrugs. "I don't know if it's because you're fellow mages instead of capes or because you're just better people, but it's a nice change. We won't count on you to join us every time we head out, just as you wouldn't expect the same, but if you ever want to work together on an operation you won't hear argument from us."
Magical Potentiate list updated. In case you're wondering, Lizzie would be 110% on board with Plan Pokemon.
Time for Tim's build vote! You have SIX slots to work with.
- Supervise the PRT's Gears (max 6 slots, 1 tech point for every 3 slots)
- Help out the Enforcers (max 6 slots, 1 tech point for every 3 slots)
- Pop Grey Boy's bubbles (max 4 slots, 3 bubbles per slot, 0 tech points)
- Send Firefly or Nostromo to pop Grey Boy bubbles (1 slot, 6 bubbles per slot, 0 tech points)
- Resurgerize Missy and adapt her old arms (2 slots, 0 tech points)
- Build advanced Devices for members of Operation Pentagram (2 slots each, 1 tech point each, max 6 slots)
- Adapt Operation Pentagram's Storage Devices into advanced Devices (1 slot each, 0 tech points, max 6 slots)
- Build a pair of teleportation portals as proofs of concept (6 slots, 2 tech points)
- Build a drone to spy on the Earth Gimel world and learn the local language (2 slots, 1 tech point)
- Analyze Sparky's cannon (3 slots, 1 tech point)
- Something else from the "Ideas for Tim to Build" threadmark
- Write-in (subject to my approval)
- Get rid of Kayleigh's build vote entirely. I will approximate her bullet count, and to come up with new bullets, it will cost Tim build slots rather than her experimenting on her own.
- Keep voting for Kayleigh's load-out. We keep track of her bullets, and you can freely experiment with new ammo types without imposing on Tim or his Gears.
Wait so Taylor is just cool with unmasking? Did I forget something?
- Location
- Canada
I've got two ideas for Tim's build vote this week. First is the one I'll likely submit when the vote opens.
[] Plan Arms, Analyze, and Accredit
-[] Resurgerize Missy and adapt her old arms (2 slots, 0 tech points)
-[] Analyze Sparky's cannon (3 slots, 1 tech point)
-[] Send Firefly or Nostromo to pop Grey Boy bubbles (1 slot, 6 bubbles per slot, 0 tech points)
--[] Have Firefly or Nostromo instruct PRT mages on the use of the Bubble Popper and (publicly) hand it over at the conclusion of the week.
-[] BUY Physical Heal Serum
All these options are, as far as I can tell, one-offs. All of Missy's current arms will be converted to fit her new proportions, the cannon will be dissected and analyzed, and the bubble-popper will now be the PRT's responsibility after this. One and done. It clears these options from the board and opens room for new suggestions from us and Silently in the future.
This plan also gives Missy something she has asked for, and potentially opens up a new avenue of Technology for Tim (Or improves something he already has).
[] Plan Ally Assistance
-[] 3x Upgrade the Storage Devices of the aerial Operation Pentagram mages to advanced Devices (1 slot each, 0 tech points, max 6 slots) [based on linker core strength Strongest to weakest]
-[] 3x Help out the Enforcers (max 6 slots, 1 tech point for every 3 slots)
--[] Bring Dragon along to speak with AI-friendly people and learn about alien technology.
-[] BUY Physical Heal Serum
This plan is entirely based around our allies, and these options can be taken again at least once more in the future. Half of the Flight team for Pentagram will be given their Advanced Devices (and if we repeat next week, they'll all have AD before XP is high enough to afford an Advanced spell), and we reaffirm our connection to the Enforcers, potentially allowing for another Lore chapter or a new inspiration for Tim from seeing what technology they have. Also, I'm not certain if my idea for Dragon to come along works for this or if I'll need to save it for a social vote, but I'm including it anyway for my own indulgence.
Both of these plans offer 1 Tech point and one instance where Tim might get inspiration into a new field or an advancement on a current one, so that doesn't factor into my decision. I picked Physical Heal to buy because it gives us a new healing option for our group in combat and way to add additional healing options to the team rather than just waiting on Lacey after combat. I like this slightly more than Barret Boost, but I would change toit if someone makes a good argument for it.
As for Kayleigh, I think that I personally would prefer that she keeps doing her own bullets (and/or have her Beast contribute if we want a larger production for a week). Tim's six slots for building is beginning to chafe a little, so another thing that would split his attention is not something I'm keen to add to him.
[] Plan Arms, Analyze, and Accredit
-[] Resurgerize Missy and adapt her old arms (2 slots, 0 tech points)
-[] Analyze Sparky's cannon (3 slots, 1 tech point)
-[] Send Firefly or Nostromo to pop Grey Boy bubbles (1 slot, 6 bubbles per slot, 0 tech points)
--[] Have Firefly or Nostromo instruct PRT mages on the use of the Bubble Popper and (publicly) hand it over at the conclusion of the week.
-[] BUY Physical Heal Serum
All these options are, as far as I can tell, one-offs. All of Missy's current arms will be converted to fit her new proportions, the cannon will be dissected and analyzed, and the bubble-popper will now be the PRT's responsibility after this. One and done. It clears these options from the board and opens room for new suggestions from us and Silently in the future.
This plan also gives Missy something she has asked for, and potentially opens up a new avenue of Technology for Tim (Or improves something he already has).
[] Plan Ally Assistance
-[] 3x Upgrade the Storage Devices of the aerial Operation Pentagram mages to advanced Devices (1 slot each, 0 tech points, max 6 slots) [based on linker core strength Strongest to weakest]
-[] 3x Help out the Enforcers (max 6 slots, 1 tech point for every 3 slots)
--[] Bring Dragon along to speak with AI-friendly people and learn about alien technology.
-[] BUY Physical Heal Serum
This plan is entirely based around our allies, and these options can be taken again at least once more in the future. Half of the Flight team for Pentagram will be given their Advanced Devices (and if we repeat next week, they'll all have AD before XP is high enough to afford an Advanced spell), and we reaffirm our connection to the Enforcers, potentially allowing for another Lore chapter or a new inspiration for Tim from seeing what technology they have. Also, I'm not certain if my idea for Dragon to come along works for this or if I'll need to save it for a social vote, but I'm including it anyway for my own indulgence.
Both of these plans offer 1 Tech point and one instance where Tim might get inspiration into a new field or an advancement on a current one, so that doesn't factor into my decision. I picked Physical Heal to buy because it gives us a new healing option for our group in combat and way to add additional healing options to the team rather than just waiting on Lacey after combat. I like this slightly more than Barret Boost, but I would change toit if someone makes a good argument for it.
As for Kayleigh, I think that I personally would prefer that she keeps doing her own bullets (and/or have her Beast contribute if we want a larger production for a week). Tim's six slots for building is beginning to chafe a little, so another thing that would split his attention is not something I'm keen to add to him.
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Mal-3
Fun Tyrant
Doggo: *mournfully* Alpha got out the water spritzer for that one.
Taylor's just saying that she's a mage, nothing more. If she'd revealed herself as Calamity Witch, you'd have heard the squeeing from Mars.
- Location
- Germany
I wanted to post the same response, but then I remembered that Alpha didn't know her identity beforehand. Hence the question is valid.
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
It's reciprocal. I didn't show the message Alpha sent to Taylor, but I mentioned at least that in it she revealed her name. So now Taylor knows her name, her daughter's name, and their address. Giving out her own first name is small potatoes in comparison.
It is also worth mentioning that this willingness to interact outside their professional personas is part of what Tanya meant when she was talking about how the Arcana doesn't act like capes.
No wonder she's so good. She's got the magic capacity to spare and she's probably also very smart to have figured out puppeteering.Also:
She'll probably end up like Corona if she continues to develop her magic. Too bad she's too young to recruit.
- Location
- Canada
Like Mother, like Daughter.
The problem is, hate to say it, *she wants to use* her abilities.
I suspect *one* reason why the TSAB areas tend to treat what we call kids as adults the moment the kids show any clue what they're doing, is simple. *What else can you do?*
Realistically, Taylor should talk to Dragon about oh, starting a Mage School or three...
I suspect *one* reason why the TSAB areas tend to treat what we call kids as adults the moment the kids show any clue what they're doing, is simple. *What else can you do?*
Realistically, Taylor should talk to Dragon about oh, starting a Mage School or three...
This will be one of our long term goals honestly. A school of magic will be essential in both protecting the kids as well as teaching them to use said magic responsibly.
Right now we are having to handle the immediate and short term threats but sooner or later we'll have to tackle this issue.
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- Location
- Canada
It does help that magic, unlike parahuman abilities, doesn't require trauma to gain and there's no inbuilt conflict drive to mentally nudge her towards combat. Her magic is cool, but at the moment she really can't fight anyone with it, nor has she shown any inclination to do so. What if her desired future is a non-combat field, like taking care of animals as her father does?
Without a Device, Lizzie can only learn four spells, half of which are already filled. If we did get tapped to teach her magic in the future, teaching her Barrier Jacket would probably be a good decision because it's easy to conceal (make Barrier Jacket look like normal clothing) and it provides excellent protection against the common threats.
FictionPack
Monochromatic Ursine
- Location
- Tennessee
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I'd be all for teaching Lizzie some magic.
Not to use her in fights or anything ofcourse, but support isn't out of the question, and it's always good if you can defend yourself.
Not to use her in fights or anything ofcourse, but support isn't out of the question, and it's always good if you can defend yourself.
- Location
- Argentina
In Canada of course.
Talking about Canada did certain mind controller get taken down yet?
I guess that makes sense. I suppose in my head I still had Taylor classifying the PRT as part of The Man, and still be leery of trusting them that much even if they did such a gesture. Cool beans.