Seed (A Worm AU)

This was all kinds of fun, I like twisted Taylors and I like generally fucked up settings, so this tickled me pink.
 
So I am working on the next two chapters and I am kind of stuck on names for the 4 new ABB capes. Hoping you guys had some ideas since I am really bad with names.

The three are:
-Bodyguard forcefield cape. Older Chinese woman who agreed to work for Lung if he moved her family to America after Behemoth hit Beijing. Very short, and looks older than she is as she used to be in an older version of the Yangban before they started sharing powers. Can create large force fields that look like large panes of glass in her line of sight. Two modes with one that is a strong force field, and another that can act like portals between each other. Can only have three at a time. Can transport people through portals but the space between is very cold, crushing, and it really hurts to do so. Is occasionally ordered to transport people through it to punish them. Otherwise acts as Lung's bodyguard to protect him while he bulks up after nearly dying to Accord/Butcher.

-Telekinetic Wind cape. –shifter/mover. Can use wind to move himself or objects in basic push/pull in different directions. Small delicate uses of his power are hard. Has to periodically make more wind sort of like winding up his power periodically. Can make a wind sphere to protect himself but again he has to stop and wind his power back up and is vulnerable at that time. Used to be part of Korean gang that was crushed by Lung and agreed to work with him. But hates Lung, and hates the Japanese members of his gang. Is a spy for Coil.

-Brute/Mover- powers are copied from Mr. Mugger on the worm OC thread. Has an energy field that increases the force that essentially copies his movements in a small radius around him, at around three times the force, with additional protection from attacks. Mover rating because this ability also lets him move remarkably quickly and he tires very slowly, and can climb walls without too much difficulty, because apparently his energy field doesn't apply his weight to whatever he's climbing on, so he can climb vertically with very little effort or damage to the wall. Experienced martial artist. I imagine he looks/act just like Tatsu from the old live action ninja turtle movies. Loyal lieutenant to Lung, but isn't very imaginative.

The last has a name but I'm not sure if it fits.

-Gorgon- Eyes cause whatever he looks at to get progressively weaker/slower or faster/stronger. Eyes are always on. The longer he stares at something the more info he can gain on it. Sort of like a very weak Tattletale in a specific way. Wears glasses and hides his identity in a crowd of regular ABB members. Tends to be overly focused on single things and misses details. Tar's young 20-year-old boss.
 
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I fee you have Taylor's motivations and modus operandi down quite well. I mean you can't get much more escalation as a tinker then jumping from making personal defense snakes to cloning the Butcher in an attempt to give yourself artificial powers.
 
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I like the idea of her becoming The Warlord of Brockton Bay without ever meeting Lisa.
Lisa - *Takes one Look at Blasto* Nope! Were moving... cant stay on this continent any more!
Alec - It's too late for that... One of us... one of us... one of us...
Lisa - EEEKKK!
Bodyguard shifter cape.

Coolie, Badang... cant really find a good one.

Telekinetic Wind cape.

This is easy.

KameKaze.


Lei Kung. Duke of Thunder.
 
-Gorgon- Eyes permanently cause whatever he looks at to get progressively weaker/slower or faster/stronger.
"Permanently" is a rare and very very powerful word in the wormverse that's generally reserved for Dauntless, Crawler, Glaistig Uaine and the like. She could permanently make all the capes (and members) of the other gangs weaker and slower than normal, permanently, and make the capes and regular members of the ABB strong and fast enough to get minor brute and mover ratings, permanently.
 
gammoregan said:
"Permanently" is a rare and very very powerful word in the wormverse that's generally reserved for Dauntless, Crawler, Glaistig Uaine and the like. She could permanently make all the capes (and members) of the other gangs weaker and slower than normal, permanently, and make the capes and regular members of the ABB strong and fast enough to get minor brute and mover ratings, permanently.

Oh I meant Gorgon can't turn his eyes off. He always has to wear glasses and it seems to follow light just fine. So power would work over mirrors and he has to wear glasses all the time. Made change to description.
 
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Oh....wow

How long till she takes a sample of Armsmasters DNA? Or Amy Dallons?

What a Way to power up
 
I found this story. I read it. I loved it. I have just one extremely powerful objection -

Why the hell is she calling herself 'Blasto'?!:confused::(

Taylor in this story bears as much resemblance to canon!Blasto as a Kodiak bear to a koala. More importantly, Blasto is a completely out-of-character name for Taylor to pick. Its a biological in-joke made by someone who was (a) an adult and (b) an actual medical student and (c) someone (if fanon has not misled me) utterly uninterested in starting a war.

Taylor on the other hand, is a teenager full of vim and vinegar whose end goal is to wage and win the biggest gang war in Brockton Bay, and who has already achieved things far more terrifying than the canon Blasto. Maxim 16: "Your name is in the mouth of others: be sure it has teeth."

There's so many things a teenager whose mother encouraged her to read the classics could come up with. How about Frankenstein? Or if that is too villainous, there is always Faust. If she's feeling religious, how about Gaia? Osiris? Iounn? Yum Kaax? A bit more lowkey would give you Matriarch.

Really, so many possibilities, especially since Taylor is no longer worried about PR, and she has to go with what has to be one of the silliest names in canon? You fail your imagination skill check :p

EDIT: Thinking it over, Faust really is the ideal name for her. She is someone who sold herself to the devil (or in this case, the Butcher shard) for more power and knowledge. Faust is henceforth her name in my headcanon.
 
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I couldn't think of good enough name in time. I made a list of possibilities including a few nature gods, but none of them seemed right. I was calling her Blasto for so long in all my drafts it sort of stuck in my mind. I posted older versions of a few chapters in the worm fic ideas thread and it was pointed out that Blasto was too villainous. But this Taylor was going to be a feared vigilante, so I thought it would fit. Skitter didn't seem so great to me when I first read worm but it sticks with you after while.

Faust seems a little too open about something she really wants kept secret. Tattletale and other thinkers could pick up something on that name. But that said, she hasn't actually given her name out except in one whisper to partially deafened Nazis. The PRT will have their own name for her until she actually tells someone else. The 88 aren't talking.

I can always change it later, once the story gets going if others don't like the name. I do try to go back and correct mistakes or things people think are too rough. The goal is to practice and get better at writing on a schedule.

That said,
She is going to gain another name WAY down the line after a certain event. Taylor had three names in canon after all.
 
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Was answering a few question on space battles and I thought I post a word of god here about what she currently can do with her clones.

Darkmavrik said:
  1. Have you decided what happens if she tries to clone a Caldron cape?
  2. Can or will she use a Kaiser clone for free metal (just making metal lumps doesn't sound like it needs sentience)
  3. And will Othala enhanced clones become common?

1. Going by canon, nothing too much changed when Bonesaw cloned the cauldron shard members of the 9. So I was assuming no issues. Though it probably greatly depends on how the donor of the DNA for that clone connected with the shard. Case 53 and other bad connections will be different than other clones and she does plan to try it when she gets access to case 53 DNA.

2/3. Good idea, but he the main issue remains with controlling any clone and not making any Butchers that run around. She has 3 methods right now and none of them are very good.

Method 1-
1. Clone parahuman which creates a normal human with Corona Pollentia in the brain but no active power.
2. Create Butcher and have clone kill Butcher. Must have animal intelligence to decide to kill Butcher on its own otherwise Taylor gets Butcher seed.
3. Cloned Parahuman gains same power as donor parent, but is now a Butcher.
4. Wipes brain and installs implants to control it.
5. Butcher Shard makes it very hard to control for unknown reason. She can technically control it and activate its power to use weakly.

Pros:
Can actually use its power.

Cons:
IS A BUTCHER! So she can't use it in the field because something could kill it and we have a new Butcher running around.
There are BIG ethical issues with cloning human beings with an animal intelligence in Method 1. She only did it out of desperation, and really doesn't want to do it again.
There is a unknown side effect the Butcher shard has on other shards Taylor didn't pick up on because she wasn't using sentient parahumans.


Method 2-
1. Clone Butcher/Other cape hybrid
2. Install implants

Pros
Can be made brain dead from start so less of a ethical nightmare. Never alive or any intelligence in the first place.

Cons
Extremely difficult to control. Taylor has to put all of her attention/concentration just controlling it and brain does work right. Could take weeks to map out brain and figure out way to use power while controlling it. Best case has a clone that can barely move/walk with a active passive power that is on and the default of the power is to stay on. Othala and Kaiser too complicated and hard with this method.

Butcher hybrid's brain causes severe motor/mental damage to whoever kills it. So somewhat safer to use in the field since anyone who kills it won't be much of a Butcher with the constant seizures and muscle spasms if it doesn't straight up kill them. But the risk is too great.

Note- Killing a hybrid by someone that seems to already have the same power as the hybrid seemed to give a 2nd trigger. So could be used by Taylor to get new powers to potentially use in future if she can get method 3 to work. Could possibly use this method to use clones with powers in lab only after quite a bit of trail and error. Though wouldn't be very useful.

Method 3- What she is using right now.
1. Make clone of whoever. Kaiser and Othala.
2. That is it. Has no way to cause them to trigger even though the clones have potential to trigger. Bonesaw in canon needed the memory cape to trigger them artificially.
IFFFFFFF she can figure out how to trigger them without using Butcher Method, she can use her own "software" to run the clone bodies hardware. Slow and she would have to carefully use trial and error to use power/move. But could, in theory, control one or two cloned parahumans at once. Maybe more if she can upgrade her Overmind tech to improve multi-tasking and cognitive abilities.

So she can't use clones safely right now. It's too dangerous to use Methods 1/2 and 3 is useless.

Technically there is Method 4-
Canon Blasto gave clones enough sentience to trigger and use powers badly. Taylor will never create a sentient clone, so this method hasn't even crossed her mind.

That said, she does have some ideas for trying to give clones a trigger events without Sentience or using the Butcher. She really, really, wants to be able to do your 2nd and 3rd question. If she had copied a portion of Hijacks power she could probably use method 3 easily.
 
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Its kinda sad she only got two powers from the butcher thing.
 
Quick update. Next chapter is almost done, but I need to edit and proofread which takes me awhile. I won't be able to do much writing until late because of job shenanigans, but I might include two versions of chapter up by Thursday or Friday. Mostly in handling 3rd person for fighting since there seems to be a consensus that 3rd person was much better for describing action.
 
Dinah Alcott was having another restless sleep. She had been having nightmares every night and her parents were getting worried. It had gotten to the point that they were considering taking her to a therapist because of how strange her behavior had been lately. She didn't want to do anything but stay in her room.

Dinah dreamt of a strange white snake that squeezed around her and whispered sweet nothings into her ear. She pictured a giant covered in screaming mouths, and a vast ocean that threatened to drown her. No matter what she did, she couldn't get away.

But for the first time, something new had started to show up. She saw a strange tree on a hill. It was huge, so high that she could barely see the top. Closer inspection revealed a figure connected to it. She was carved from wood and was growing beautiful flowers that on closer inspection were filled with teeth and flesh. She wasn't sure why but she found herself at peace beneath the shade.

For the first time in weeks, Dinah Alcott slept soundly.
So. Coil. Simurgh. Leviathan. And Taylor. The lineup is inspirational.
So that is part 1, or the prologue. Critiques and constructive criticism is welcome since I am still a beginner and I know I will make mistakes. I will try to fix parts that are rough or need rewrites as needed. I tried to do 3rd​ person for the second half of the 5th chapter as an experiment, and hopefully it wasn't too bad. I am going to try and aim things for one chapter every week or two with writing 7 to 10k words as my goal. I finally decided to make a thread for some of my stuff after reading that the number one tip for new writers is just to write on a schedule and keep it for practice.
Taylor is powerful, but she is far from invincible in this story. Though the ABB is going to be afraid of going at night before too long. Hope you guys like it.
You asked for critique, and I will provide.

First of all, because it's genuinely something that almost made me drop the story - is that the first arc, until halfway through, was greatly tedious. I applaud your decision to provide the entire arc at once, because it tipped the scales for me. As such, I suggest you put on some kind of warning up top that the story starts slowly while winding up.

Second of all, despite the tedium, the arc in hindsight provided an almost eerie parallel with Taylor's mood concurrent with the arc timeline. We were excited when she was, feeling down when she was, and laughing maniacally when she was. That's real talent.

Thirdly. Holy fucking $#!+!!! The interlude... The interlude was veritable a mutant horror movie compilation! I remember Mimic. And it's only one of many examples. You can pat yourself on the back - it was compelling!

Also, I want to see not-ever-drugged Dinah and reformed Riley bond under the shade of the World Tree aka Big Sister Taylor!

-Bodyguard forcefield cape. Older Chinese woman who agreed to work for Lung if he moved her family to America after Behemoth hit Beijing. Very short, and looks older than she is as she used to be in an older version of the Yangban before they started sharing powers. Can create large force fields that look like large panes of glass in her line of sight. Two modes with one that is a strong force field, and another that can act like portals between each other. Can only have three at a time. Can transport people through portals but the space between is very cold, crushing, and it really hurts to do so. Is occasionally ordered to transport people through it to punish them. Otherwise acts as Lung's bodyguard to protect him while he bulks up after nearly dying to Accord/Butcher.
For some reason I want to call her Glasshouse.
-Gorgon- Eyes cause whatever he looks at to get progressively weaker/slower or faster/stronger. Eyes are always on. The longer he stares at something the more info he can gain on it. Sort of like a very weak Tattletale in a specific way. Wears glasses and hides his identity in a crowd of regular ABB members. Tends to be overly focused on single things and misses details. Tar's young 20-year-old boss.
Oversight, Overseer, and Gazer seem like better options. Gorgon is a bit too pretentious. And more fitting for a Case 53 anyway.

P.S. If I were to stat Taylor in this story, I would call her a Tinker 8/Master 7, with a number of subratings.
P.P.S. Taylor and Coil? I see of no reason why the canon finale of their relationship should ever be avoided.

P.P.P.S. I still think Taylor calling herself Lifemaker would have been better. Or Lifegiver, in a pinch.
 
@Faraway-R

Thanks for the critique, though I hope I can live up to that hype. The chapter should be done tomorrow before I give it to a beta for extra polishing.
The first two chapters were the snippets I had for the story similar to the ones for the other alternate reality fanfic ideas I listed somewhere in the worm fic ideas thread.
Gorgon was just picked because it was the first thing he thought of. Tar wasn't lying when he said that the only reason he had been promoted was because he triggered.

Names are a weakness of mine. Accord's list of 14 capes and the three captains of Coil all have their powers and slight background ready to go, but almost half of them don't have names yet. I will probably need to make a new cast list at some point.

There is a great consensus that Blasto is a bad name for her, based off her extensive reading and who her mother was. I wasn't that attached to it. So I will probably go back and change it when I post the new chapter. I have to edit a bunch of grammar mistakes as well. So I will take a list of suggestions and pick something though I planned for her to gain at least one other name later given by the PRT.

I wrote numerous little snippets for my alternate realities ideas but most of them were disgustingly bad. This story, reality green, was created by stuff I already had extensive notes for based on three other stories I started and stopped. The first story I ever tried to write was called Echidna where Taylor got Nilbog's shard as a alternate power in the locker and all the stuff that happened afterward. I made it just around Noelle's arc and I even emailed Willdbow some theories on how his power worked, and he was nice enough to make it clear how he does what he does. The issue was that she was too powerful, and I ran into writers block. Echidna is what the PRT is going to call her once her capabilities become known, but Taylor is not going to like it and refuses to use it. Similar to Bitch and the PRT designation of Hellhound.

So for names I have alternates and a few suggestions from readers:

*Faust- sold herself to the devil (or in this case, the Butcher shard) for more power and knowledge. Sounds cool but I think she probably would want to hide what she did, but then again I could see her owning the risk she took to make a difference.

Shepherd- Guides and protects animals

*Chimera –I was torn between this one and Blasto. It is a female monster in mythology made up of different animal parts and describes a impossible dream.

Aja- african nature god

*Seedling- a young plant, especially one raised from seed and not from a cutting.

Gaia- the titan of nature-Considering how long powers have been around, I think there have been several gaias at this point.

LifeMaker- creates life. A bit on the nose to me.

Shepherd- Guides and protects animals.

Positive, nature-oriented names: Nope. She wants to be seen as powerful, scary, or mysterious to the gangs.
- Sprout
- Green Thumb
- Farm Girl
- Orchard
- Bamboo
- Kudzu

Powerful, scary names:
- Alchemist- Surely this has to be taken.

- Chimerical-unreal, imaginary, visionary

- Guts-slang for the insides of something.

- Incisive-(of a person or mental process) intelligently analytical and clear-thinking.

- *Splice- Not Bad

For a more grow-up sounding name, stick "Dr." in front: Ha. No, just no.
- Dr. Sprout
- Dr. Greenthumb
- Dr. Guts
- Dr. Bamboo
- Dr. Kudzu
- Dr. Chimera
- Dr. Splice

*Promethea- A type of moth whose larva feeds on other trees seeds

Eve- mother of humanity who was tempted and then sinned. She'd make an enemy of Haven. I also feel like the fallen would pick this and model the right person/costume of the Simurgh.

Carmilla- The vampire? Taylor would probably laugh at this one

Echidna- Read the spoiler of this post and you'll see why she won't use this name

Mother- I am Mother. A little too creepy actually. Though there is Doctor mother already

Ascendant- rising in power or influence. A challenge to herself or others?

Circe- because of her experiments with powers

Ceres- goddess of grain and agriculture, given her original biological bent. Maybe, but It doesn't fit her to me somehow.

Athena-because she's seeking both wisdom, and war against the gains. This is another one that I'm sure has to be taken somewhere in the world

Harvest

Nepenthes

Matriarch

Seed

Overgrowth

Top Picks to me so far
Faust
The Seedling
Chimera
Splice
Promethea

Any other suggestions before Friday or Saturday?
 
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Positive, nature-oriented names:
- Sprout
- Green Thumb
- Farm Girl
- Orchard
- Bamboo
- Kudzu

Powerful, scary names:
- Alchemist
- Chimerical
- Guts
- Incisive
- Splice

For a more grow-up sounding name, stick "Dr." in front:
- Dr. Sprout
- Dr. Greenthumb
- Dr. Guts
- Dr. Bamboo
- Dr. Kudzu
- Dr. Chimera
- Dr. Splice
 
I was waiting for this to get its own thread, am enjoying it x)

If a villain managed to actually kill Taylor, would her murderer get a watered down version of her tinker shards via the butcher effect? That would be a scary new butcher.
 
@ foldimort

Well Taylor theorizes based off of the other Butcher that at least part of her consciousness would survive in her killer, and yes they probably would get every shard at once. Though she obviously can't test that. Her hope is that she will get to live on in someway and direct the mind of her killer toward good.
 
@ foldimort

Well Taylor theorizes based off of the other Butcher that at least part of her consciousness would survive in her killer, and yes they probably would get every shard at once. Though she obviously can't test that. Her hope is that she will get to live on in someway and direct the mind of her killer toward good.

This being Taylor-speak for driving the person insane and bending them to her will.:p
 
For a more poetic name, there's Dawn or Daybreak, referencing her and her children's abilities to absorb energy from light, and also her intentions to end the long night of gang control in the Bay.

The names of gods aren't typically used because they're hard to pull off / sound pretentious, but there's lots of material there. Rhea, Terra, Demeter, Yum Kaax, Prometheus, Eve, Serpent, Eden, Dryad, and the like.

Then there's more low-key references, like Wyld (as in the Wild Hunt), Overgrowth, and Legion.

Or she can just call herself Flower Power so no one will respect anyone who loses to her anymore. That's what'd I'd do. ^_^
 
Positive, nature-oriented names:
- Sprout
- Green Thumb
- Farm Girl
- Orchard
- Bamboo
- Kudzu

Powerful, scary names:
- Alchemist
- Chimerical
- Guts
- Incisive
- Splice

For a more grow-up sounding name, stick "Dr." in front:
- Dr. Sprout
- Dr. Greenthumb
- Dr. Guts
- Dr. Bamboo
- Dr. Kudzu
- Dr. Chimera
- Dr. Splice

Why not something else??
- Professor Sprout
- Splice Girl
- Dr. Farmer
- Fielders Green
- Fernville
- Professor Al Chemist
- Face Plant
- Apple Seed
- Baptiste
 
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