Magical Girl Escalation Taylor (Worm/Nanoha)

Yeah. A brand new queen bitch strolls into Taylor's life and expects Taylor to roll over, just like before? When Taylor has been doing to damnedest to not go down to victim path of old?

No, Taylor is not going to be completely rational, nor will she be able to keep her long term goals in mind. In the heat of this moment, Taylor is damn well going to be a bitch right back, and feel good about it in the short-term... because it's such a huge change from her previous circumstances.
Uh, the decision branch here was only a binary "victim or uber-bitch, take your pick!" if you wanted it to be, imo.
 
Well...not necessarily what I intended, but if it makes it clear that we aren't going to take crap like that from Lisa if we end up working together, then I'm fine with it.

And if Lisa continues to do so then...well, c'est la vie.
 
The trains of logic being used here make me sad. They aren't necessarily wrong, but...sad. :cry:

This is going to escalate quickly.
 
On one side? We have Thinker powers making it's users think less. On the other? We have a girl who practically escalates everything their involved in...somehow...Are we sure she ain't be having a shard driving her to be extra bitchy here?
 
This is going to escalate quickly.
Welcome to Worm. This is literally the entire issue behind the scenes. Not everything get worse, everything escalates.

That being said, Lisa wasn't just a bitch. She also pushed Taylor into a corner by ferreting out her secrets and past. At that point, things were going to be binary with very little room for anything else. Either we threaten right back or we let her get away with that information without so much as a slap on the wrist.

Taylor's own issues IC just make the problem even more binary and cut out any de-escalating attempts altogether really. We probably could have written something in, but I'm not sure we could have made it fly IC anyway... *Shrug*
 
On one side? We have Thinker powers making it's users think less. On the other? We have a girl who practically escalates everything their involved in...somehow...Are we sure she ain't be having a shard driving her to be extra bitchy here?
Thats where subtle conflict encouragement drive works. Make them way smarter and leave a blindspot thats natural to their psychology amplified.

It tends to work on SB/SV players pretty good too.
 
First Impact 2.6
[ ] Trust no one – Verify everything you've been told before making a decision. You don't trust either party in this situation, but you can't completely rule out that Tattletale is telling the truth. And it wouldn't hurt to have Perfect Storm do some digging of its own for verification, so you'll take a rain check for now.
-[ ] But make it clear that she's the one asking you for help, so it's best for her to watch what she says and who's secrets she's throwing around. You're well within your rights to take her down to the PRT right now since she's prying into your secret identity and she's a Villain, so it's best for her to keep that in mind.
-[ ] Begin by telling her that if we were really as crazy as she says we are, she would probably be dead right now. Possibly ask her if the cops and robbers thing is how the world works, or just how she wants it to work. We are already moving carefully to minimize the probability and potential impact of our actions beginning a gang war, but leaving things as they are is an even worse option no matter what she tries to tell herself.



First Impact 2.6

If you're being totally honest, you are seriously tempted for a moment to tell Tattletale she can go fuck herself. She gives you serious Emma vibes, and you've had more than your fill of dealing with queen bitches. She can take her superior attitude somewhere else and choke on it.

But, thankfully, your common sense prevails in the end. If she is telling the truth, Coil is dangerous. Not necessarily more personally powerful than Lung, nor as numerous as the Empire, but still a villain with the end goal of ruling the city like some feudal warlord. He should really be an even higher priority at the moment just because it would be so much easier to remove him now than to wait until he is as entrenched as the other gangs. With the resources you have already figured out he has at his fingertips, delaying would be a massive mistake.

Of course, that is all based on a very big if. You have absolutely no reason to trust anything that Tattletale has just told you beyond the fact that she works for Coil, and even that is suspect. There are surely ways a parahuman could figure out what he said in that warehouse beyond him intentionally feeding her the information. You actually hope she is lying; the idea of another independent hero working alongside unpowered humans and striving to rip the gangs out of the city and who wants to be partners with the Privateers is almost too good to be true.

…But if something is too good to be true, it usually isn't.

Putting that flare of cynicism back into its mental cubbyhole, you turn to regard the villain. She is still looking at you with that haughty expression, as though she honestly thinks she can insult you to your face and you'll still jump to help her. A partnership with somebody like this is out of the question, but she is still Coil's enemy. She needs to learn some damned humility if she expects people to care about her asking for help.

"I'll think about it," you tell her.

"Don't try to lie to a psychic. I already know you're going to help. Now, I was—"

"Did I ever say I would help you, though? If Coil is bad for the city, that's one thing, but what he does to a little pissant like you? I could not give less of a shit. Besides, I need to check to see if anything you've told me is actually true. Maybe even ask him for his side of the story." Ah, that gets through to her. "I might still take him down, but if it's only after he puts a bullet between your eyes? That'd just be a tragedy, wouldn't it?"

"You wouldn't do that."

"How can you be so sure?" you ask in a syrupy voice. "I mean, you did just say I'm a violent psychopath. If you're as right as you think you are, I should really have lashed out and blasted a hole straight through your chest, or at the very least burned your fucking tongue out. Your teammates probably would have sent me a thank-you card for that one."

"You think you could survive a fight with my whole team? Because that's what you're asking for."

You don't need to be 'psychic' – or even a true telepath, though it seems like Perfect Storm is insistent on turning you into one – to see the fear on her face and in her voice. She wants to bluff? You'll call her on it. "You said you work for Coil, but you're just asking for safety for yourself. You know in the course of arresting him, I'll have to deal with the Undersiders. You wouldn't be coming to me unless you knew I could smack them down."

"They don't know that we work for him," she admits, which is obviously a serious struggle for her to do. "I'm the go-between."

"And yet you didn't go to them for help." The picture is starting to become clearer. "Because you know that any fight with him, they'd lose, yet you still expect me to win. And you think threatening me with them is going to scare me?"

"Entirely different powers," Tattletale points out in an icy voice. "You? They'd have an easy time with."

"Just be careful that they don't…. How did you phrase it? Push me just a little too far? Because if you're right, it will send me over the edge and I'll wind up killing them all." From the pinched look on her face, she does not enjoy the taste of the foot in her mouth. "Tell me, Tattletale, just how much of that cops and robbers bullshit do you actually believe? Or is it just a pretty little lie you tell yourself so you can pretend you'll ever amount to anything besides being some bigger villain's ten-cent whore?"

"You'd know all about being fucked over at every turn, wouldn't you?"

You smile, really just a baring of your teeth, and send Samantha a mental command to return. You're done here. "Be careful," you warn as your Guardian Beast leaps down to the rooftop and pads silently towards you. "Keep digging into who I am, and I might just forget this little conversation ever happened and chuck you into a cell. I'm tempted enough to do it now, anyway, I promise you that I most certainly will if I ever see or hear you after he's done with. Get out of my city and never come back."

"It won't be that easy," she replies in a voice even more arrogant than she used before making her proposal. "One of the benefits of being me. You even think about coming after me, and I'd know it. You couldn't be subtle if your life depended on—"

A loud growl rumbles from right behind the villain, and she whirls around with a scream before falling onto her butt. That is a bad position to be in when dealing with Samantha's war form, and the monstrous raccoon is quick to prove why. Tattletale goggles silently at the large teeth only inches in front of her and the fetid breath that comes from a carnivorous diet.

"Oh, I think I could manage."

Wordless warning imparted, Samantha slinks past the blonde for a few feet before transforming into her human shape. "You say you're psychic? Then you should know when someone's lying or telling the truth." She looks over her shoulder. "If you attempt to hurt her, you will have to deal with me, and I am much nastier than she. She would be content throwing you in prison. I would gut you and leave you as a feast for the crows."

You flick a worried glance at the animal turned woman before returning your attention to Tattletale. That is not a conversation to have in front of an enemy, and despite being willing to deal with Coil, you will not forget that that is exactly what she is. "Go away, Tattletale. I will send you a message on PHO when he is dealt with."

The two of you watch the blonde villain walk to the fire escape and disappear over the edge, and then silence descends onto the rooftop. Finally, Samantha sighs. "That could have gone better."

"You can say that again."

"You really shouldn't have antagonized her like that."

"I shouldn't have antagonized her?" you sputter in disbelief. "Ignoring for just a moment that you said you would kill her, what was I supposed to do? Just let her walk all over me?"

"In a word? Yes." You stare at her with patent confusion. "What that was should have been obvious. It was a dominance display, her fluffing up her fur to make herself look larger and more dangerous. A display of power in front of a stronger party, but that was all it was. Mere illusion. You should have ignored it."

"Even when she started figuring out who Dad and I are?"

Samantha smiles coldly. "She knew some things about you, but it did not sound like enough for her to discover your name. And even if she did, what of it? What could she do with the information? Using it to pressure you into anything would be suicide. From what I could determine, her abilities are almost guaranteed to be purely investigative. She has no defenses that would withstand your attacks, and the possibility that she could produce a weapon in short order that could pierce your Barrier Jacket, let alone your shield, is so low as to be laughable. Your combat ability is the entire reason she sought you out. If she made any threats, you would snap her in half, and she knew it. Nor would she pass that information to someone else. The parahumans, at least those in Brockton Bay, who are powerful enough to be a danger to you are also those she derided as 'crazies', and her own philosophy would undoubtedly prevent her from reaching out to them. Even if she did, when you survived the attack, who would be your first suspect for being the source of that information? She has nothing to gain and everything to lose should she try to attack you, directly or indirectly, in or out of costume."

"Then why do it at all?!"

"Because she is just like you in that respect. An impulsive, short-sighted adolescent." Your Guardian Beast shrugs. "And that might be the core of her personality, too. Arrogant, egotistical, insistent on having the upper hand at all times even to the detriment of her long-term goals."

You scowl at the rebuke. She… might have a point. "If I should have ignored her, then why did you threaten her?"

"Because you called her out on her weakness. You wounded her pride, and if she is that arrogant, she is undoubtedly a sore loser. I simply made sure she knows exactly what the consequences of salving that injury would be."

"And that's another thing. We're heroes, Samantha, and more, we're good people. Killing should be the last resort."

"You are a good person, sweetie," she corrects gently. "I am a good Guardian Beast. 'Your purpose'," she suddenly recites, "'to defend me and my allies, to destroy my foes, to support me in my purpose'. The terms of our contract are clear. It is my duty and my joy to do whatever is necessary to protect you."

The weight her voice lends to those words startles you. You barely remember the exact phrasing of the contract the ritual required, but she quoted it as if it were the most important thing in the world. She says it is a joy to do this, you wonder, but is it really? Or did you create a thinking, feeling being only to enslave her in the most complete way possible? Her declaration of devotion sounds too much like a clip you once heard from one of Heartbreaker's victims for your liking.
«It is why Mistress created a Guardian Beast.»
"You're broadcasting," you hear in your head. Samantha laughs softly at your surprise and reaches up to lay her hand on your cheek. "And you say you're no good at telepathy. I'm touched that you're so concerned about forcing me into this, but you don't need to be. I could have refused the contract had I wished. I chose to accept it."
«Sufficient iterations of personality matrix are tested until installation is successful.»
That is good enough, you suppose.

«Verification of information obtained from target Tattletale can begin at any time,» Perfect Storm tells you. «I require only the command from Mistress.»

Samantha laughs again. "See? It's not just me. We're both eager to help." Pulling you into an unexpected embrace, she whispers, "You don't have to do anything alone again, Taylor. We're here for you, and we will never walk away. You're stuck with us."

You hug her back, doing your best not to cry. Thank you. I love you, too.


I should start asking for more stunts like these. They certainly make writing the chapter that much easier.

Choose two activities to pursue next week
[ ] Light in the Darkness – Purity is one of the strongest Blasters in the country, and more than once you've heard her be referred to as "evil Legend". This is not someone you can afford to let go unchallenged, even if she hasn't been seen in Nazi company for a while.
[ ] Big Game Hunting, Part 2 – Samantha was a hit with Vista and Kid Win! Now that the fun is over, though, there's still paperwork to fill out. Take her to the Rig and register her as an official hero with the Protectorate, just as you did for yourself and Captain.
[ ] Strange Bedfellows, Part 3 – Put Perfect Storm on the task of verifying Tattletale's information. She deserves being let to stew for a little bit, but the sooner you find out the truth and make a move, the sooner that bitch is out of your city. One way or another.
[ ] Endangered Species – You asked for powers with which to eliminate the gangs. You even received the powers of someone who apparently had made it her life's work to do the same. It's long past time you got started on fulfilling that promise. Find a gang and wipe it off the map.
-[ ] Write-in
[ ] Eye of the Tiger – Spend your free time in the training simulator. Can by chosen twice.
-[ ] Write-in for which spell to practice
 
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[X] Big Game Hunting, Part 2 – Samantha was a hit with Vista and Kid Win! Now that the fun is over, though, there's still paperwork to fill out. Take her to the Rig and register her as an official hero with the Protectorate, just as you did for yourself and Captain.
[X] Strange Bedfellows, Part 3 – Put Perfect Storm on the task of verifying Tattletale's information. She deserves being let to stew for a little bit, but the sooner you find out the truth and make a move, the sooner that bitch is out of your city. One way or another.

Let's go ahead and get the boring/important stuff out of the way, shall we?
 
*sigh* here we go.
You actually hope she is lying; the idea of another independent hero working alongside unpowered humans and striving to rip the gangs out of the city and who wants to be partners with the Privateers is almost too good to be true.

…But if something is too good to be true, it usually isn't.
Just another day in Earth Bet.
"Did I ever say I would help you, though? If Coil is bad for the city, that's one thing, but what he does to a little pissant like you? I could not give less of a shit.
Eeeeeh... I wouldn't speak so soon.
You don't need to be 'psychic' – or even a true telepath, though it seems like Perfect Storm is insistent on turning you into one – to see the fear on her face and in her voice. She wants to bluff? You'll call her on it.
Bluff? Seriously?
"And yet you didn't go to them for help." The picture is starting to become clearer. "Because you know that any fight with him, they'd lose, yet you still expect me to win. And you think threatening me with them is going to scare me?"
"Entirely different powers," Tattletale points out in an icy voice. "You? They'd have an easy time with."
*sigh* Lisa just doesn't know when to quit while she's behind.
"Just be careful that they don't…. How did you phrase it? Push me just a little too far? Because if you're right, it will send me over the edge and I'll wind up killing them all." From the pinched look on her face, she does not enjoy the taste of the foot in her mouth. "Tell me, Tattletale, just how much of that cops and robbers bullshit do you actually believe? Or is it just a pretty little lie you tell yourself so you can pretend you'll ever amount to anything besides being some bigger villain's ten-cent whore?"
Geez. Going for the jugular, and unintentionally hitting close to what Lisa knows Coil will do to her.
Get out of my city and never come back."

"It won't be that easy," she replies in a voice even more arrogant than she used before making her proposal. "One of the benefits of being me. You even think about coming after me, and I'd know it. You couldn't be subtle if your life depended on—"

A loud growl rumbles from right behind the villain, and she whirls around with a scream before falling onto her butt. That is a bad position to be in when dealing with Samantha's war form, and the monstrous raccoon is quick to prove why. Tattletale goggles silently at the large teeth only inches in front of her and the fetid breath that comes from a carnivorous diet.

"Oh, I think I could manage."

Wordless warning imparted, Samantha slinks past the blonde for a few feet before transforming into her human shape. "You say you're psychic? Then you should know when someone's lying or telling the truth." She looks over her shoulder. "If you attempt to hurt her, you will have to deal with me, and I am much nastier than she. She would be content throwing you in prison. I would gut you and leave you as a feast for the crows."
Guardian Beast does what Guardian Beasts do.
"You really shouldn't have antagonized her like that."

"I shouldn't have antagonized her?" you sputter in disbelief. "Ignoring for just a moment that you said you would kill her, what was I supposed to do? Just let her walk all over me?"

"In a word? Yes." You stare at her with patent confusion. "What that was should have been obvious. It was a dominance display, her fluffing up her fur to make herself look larger and more dangerous. A display of power in front of a stronger party, but that was all it was. Mere illusion. You should have ignored it."

"Even when she started figuring out who Dad and I are?"

Samantha smiles coldly. "She knew some things about you, but it did not sound like enough for her to discover your name. And even if she did, what of it? What could she do with the information? Using it to pressure you into anything would be suicide. From what I could determine, her abilities are almost guaranteed to be purely investigative. She has no defenses that would withstand your attacks, and the possibility that she could produce a weapon in short order that could pierce your Barrier Jacket, let alone your shield, is so low as to be laughable. Your combat ability is the entire reason she sought you out. If she made any threats, you would snap her in half, and she knew it. Nor would she pass that information to someone else. The parahumans, at least those in Brockton Bay, who are powerful enough to be a danger to you are also those she derided as 'crazies', and her own philosophy would undoubtedly prevent her from reaching out to them. Even if she did, when you survived the attack, who would be your first suspect for being the source of that information? She has nothing to gain and everything to lose should she try to attack you, directly or indirectly, in or out of costume."
Ok ok, ok, you've made your point Watches, we players need to not go off on knee-jerk emotional responses. You're really not going to convince alot of the people here by lecturing them via a character. You want to break preconceived notions, you need to make the players hurt for their screwup. And the internet is not exactly a place conducive to remembering long-ago mistakes.
"Because she is just like the players in that respect. An impulsive, short-sighted adolescent."
Samantha's certainly got us pegged. We really are no better than Lisa.

[X] Light in the Darkness – Purity is one of the strongest Blasters in the country, and more than once you've heard her be referred to as "evil Legend". This is not someone you can afford to let go unchallenged, even if she hasn't been seen in Nazi company for a while.

[X] Big Game Hunting, Part 2 – Samantha was a hit with Vista and Kid Win! Now that the fun is over, though, there's still paperwork to fill out. Take her to the Rig and register her as an official hero with the Protectorate, just as you did for yourself and Captain.

Time to build up for the Coil fight. And if we really haven't learned our lesson, we get to have a laser battle with Purity!
 
[x] Light in the Darkness – Purity is one of the strongest Blasters in the country, and more than once you've heard her be referred to as "evil Legend". This is not someone you can afford to let go unchallenged, even if she hasn't been seen in Nazi company for a while.

before kaiser brings her back to the fold

[x] Big Game Hunting, Part 2 – Samantha was a hit with Vista and Kid Win! Now that the fun is over, though, there's still paperwork to fill out. Take her to the Rig and register her as an official hero with the Protectorate, just as you did for yourself and Captain.
 
God damn it i feel bad now, i thought we would just be a bit of a bitch to her in turn not go full i shall crush you. I feel like we just kind of bullied her and i hate bullies. Even if she was kind of acting like a bitch it's really not that hard to realize she was doing that because she was scared, it may not make sense but it is a thing people do. God i cant believe you made me feel bad for Tattletale.
 
[X] Light in the Darkness – Purity is one of the strongest Blasters in the country, and more than once you've heard her be referred to as "evil Legend". This is not someone you can afford to let go unchallenged, even if she hasn't been seen in Nazi company for a while.

[X] Big Game Hunting, Part 2 – Samantha was a hit with Vista and Kid Win! Now that the fun is over, though, there's still paperwork to fill out. Take her to the Rig and register her as an official hero with the Protectorate, just as you did for yourself and Captain.

Time to build up for the Coil fight. And if we really haven't learned our lesson, we get to have a laser battle with Purity!
Abridged version: Pew pew, pew pew pew! Boom!
 
[X] Big Game Hunting, Part 2 – Samantha was a hit with Vista and Kid Win! Now that the fun is over, though, there's still paperwork to fill out. Take her to the Rig and register her as an official hero with the Protectorate, just as you did for yourself and Captain.
[X] Strange Bedfellows, Part 3 – Put Perfect Storm on the task of verifying Tattletale's information. She deserves being let to stew for a little bit, but the sooner you find out the truth and make a move, the sooner that bitch is out of your city. One way or another.
 
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