The Light is Not Gone (Worm/Destiny SI)

[Orannis]

Firstly i am sorry about leaving a one-liner

Taylor is cunning and Ghost is smart. Between the two of them they should be able to come up something. the E88 area and the ABB areas are off limits but she should if she plays it smart take out the docks give Squealer the choice of joining getting clean or going to jail, witch she follows merchants to jail to verify that PTR dose not let them go. Or the smart move that i have not seen her ever do is leave the hell mou.. i mean Braddock bay. By the sounds of it she is a tinker that dose not need a work shop . So she could bounce between 3 or 4 cities New York, Chicago, Detroit, including the bay to check in on dad. when things start to get hot takes off to one of her 4 cities.

 

[Orannis]

I know that within a hours drive of Detroit it is a tinkers paradise we have like 45+ scrap yards, junk yards, recycle centers. between Ann Arbor and Detroit there is 20 that i know of and that is mostly in a line with I-94. That is not including factories, car and the like, with stuff still in them that number is well over a few thousand.

 

[OverReactionGuy]

Firstly i am sorry about leaving a one-liner

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-nods head-

Much better than just complaining about Taylor going to the Wards. Anyway I may not be the author but it was pretty much stated that Taylor will likely end up in a ditch somewhere if she strikes out alone.

So what she would need to do is find other independents and a place that is safe for permanent residence and considering that she is a run away; any place she finds will likely have her staying there illegally. Then there is the fact that the PRT might believe she crossed a line if she continued as she has been and bring her in like they brought in Sophia. So, that would severely cut into her freedom anyway. Also remember that Taylor currently had someone die because of her, so she will likely think on how to not have that happen again. And Ghost answered her. Join the Wards, get resources and backup.

And Ghost would only say that if he viewed that as the safest choice for Taylor.

As for leaving the city? Taylor wouldn't even think about that. She may have ran away but she is still connected to her father. Leaving the city means giving up on her father. I don't think Taylor is ready to do that.

 

[Orannis]

-nods head-

Much better than just complaining about Taylor going to the Wards. Anyway I may not be the author but it was pretty much stated that Taylor will likely end up in a ditch somewhere if she strikes out alone.

So what she would need to do is find other independents and a place that is safe for permanent residence and considering that she is a run away; any place she finds will likely have her staying there illegally. Then there is the fact that the PRT might believe she crossed a line if she continued as she has been and bring her in like they brought in Sophia. So, that would severely cut into her freedom anyway. Also remember that Taylor currently had someone die because of her, so she will likely think on how to not have that happen again. And Ghost answered her. Join the Wards, get resources and backup.

And Ghost would only say that if he viewed that as the safest choice for Taylor.

As for leaving the city? Taylor wouldn't even think about that. She may have ran away but she is still connected to her father. Leaving the city means giving up on her father. I don't think Taylor is ready to do that.

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In cannon Taylor was smart as in at the age of 16 been done with high school if she was not bullied. Where she could live if she ran away you may want to look in your large city areas about Safe house or Covenant House. They are legal places that run aways can go for a place to sleep get food and/or legal help near worm area. She lives in a large city according to cannon so there would be at least one of these in her city New York has 3 (45 to 60 mins from BB) Detroit MI has 2 Ann Abor MI (45 mins away from Detroit) has 1 of each. Those two i have named are just the big ones around the area she lives, there are more smaller one as well.

Now the gang thing The Batman ran alone for many years before he got minions, about 5 to 10 years into being the Batman. Now yes he had a ton of money but he had an arrest warrant on him for almost till he retired. lets go with a lesser solo hero Spiderman, poor, he went vs the mob weekly and a crazy monthly. Both these heroes are tinkers, spiderman made his web shooters with other toys and batman made most his gear outside of the batmobile. These people were not found out by tinkering. Also Taylor don't tinker like other tinkers.

 

[OverReactionGuy]

In cannon Taylor was smart as in at the age of 16 been done with high school if she was not bullied.

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Wrong, Taylor was smart enough to get into Arcadia but not to skip highschool out right.

Where she could live if she ran away you may want to look in your large city areas about Safe house or Covenant House.

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And they probably keep records on who shows up. Besides, Earth Bet would be rather different than our earth. Not to mention supervillains and people would would be interested in keeping track of run anyways in case they have super powers.

Now the gang thing The Batman ran alone for many years he got minions, about 5 to 10 years into being the Batman. Now yes he had a ton of money but he had an arrest warrant on him for almost till he retired. lets go with a lesser solo hero Spiderman, poor, he went vs the mob weekly and a crazy monthly. Both these heroes are tinkers, spiderman made his web shooters and batman made most his gear outside of the batmobile.

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Taylor is not batman or spider man. Taylor doesn't have resources, and isn't a genius. Taylor is, or was a normal 16 year old girl that suffered through a severe bullying problem. One that nearly got killed, has been living basically in the streets, and lost connection to her only family because she ran away.

 

[Orannis]

Wrong, Taylor was smart enough to get into Arcadia but not to skip highschool out right.

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First off getting into Arcadia ( a private school not public because public cant deny a student on grades) the best school of the city based off grades only is like getting into U of M or an elitist privet school off grades only you have to be very very smart to do so not just smart to do so. Also 16 is not skipping high school graduating at 16 means you skipped 1 year only, my brother was out at 17 because of his birthday and he did not skip a year.

And they probably keep records on who shows up. Besides, Earth Bet would be rather different than our earth. Not to mention supervillains and people would would be interested in keeping track of run anyways in case they have super powers.

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Also watching these places the only one that may be able to do so is Coil, PTR and cops. I am gay and ran away when things went bad at my parents house when i came out. i walked into one of these at 9 at night. they gave me a bed and some food with no questions till morning. I did not even have to give my real name but i did because i wanted help and they did help me. They fixed my issue with my parents talking to them and getting counseling for us. The school i missed witch was about 2 days they made that i did not miss after that they drove me to school and back, 5 min drive, till i was back with my parents witch took about 4 days. These people try to get you back with your parents pressuring the kid and parents. The only thing they keep track of is how many kids they have for the month for Tax info because it is payed by taxes not even SS numbers are taken. Also you can only stay in these places for about a Max of a month but if all else fails they will help get you on your feed and a place to live if that is alone in a appartment (she is 16 so this may be what she gets) payed by the state or foster care (for kids that cant takes care of them selfs)

Also they don't know the new tinker is Taylor but they most likely know that Taylor ran away if her dad called the cops. also it takes 2 days before you are allowed to report a run away 1 depending on state.

Taylor is not batman or spider man. Taylor doesn't have resources, and isn't a genius. Taylor is, or was a normal 16 year old girl that suffered through a severe bullying problem. One that nearly got killed, has been living basically in the streets, and lost connection to her only family because she ran away.

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In all Spidermans i have seen/read he started out a POOR BULLED Teen and was Heroing at 17/18 so only 1 grade higher then her after he did his high school college/workplace tour. Some of these Spiderman's are not even that smart (Kids' WB) but have taken shop class and knows a thing or two about electronics also has one of the best high school Chemistry teacher ever Dr. Connors aka the Lizard. Also he made the Genius stuff after he was bitten. Taylor will make her stuff after she is given a Ghost. Also Ghost to me is kind of like JARVIS a super AI. After Spiderman got his Uncle killed we did not see him run off to Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters only 75 miles away from his hometown.

 

[OverReactionGuy]

First off getting into Arcadia ( a private school not public because public cant deny a student on grades) the best school of the city based off grades only is like getting into U of M or an elitist privet school off grades only you have to be very very smart to do so not just smart to do so. Also 16 is not skipping high school graduating at 16 means you skipped 1 year only, my brother was out at 17 because of his birthday and he did not skip a year.

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You outright said Taylor was smart enough to be done with highschool, thus that means skipping highschool and I told you that you were wrong on that.

In all Spidermans i have seen/read he started out a POOR BULLED Teen and was Heroing at 17/18 so only 1 grade higher then her after he did his high school college/workplace tour. Some of these Spiderman's are not even that smart (Kids' WB) but have taken shop class and knows a thing or two about electronics also has one of the best high school Chemistry teacher ever Dr. Connors aka the Lizard. Also he made the Genius stuff after he was bitten. Taylor will make her stuff after she is given a Ghost. Also Ghost to me is kind of like JARVIS a super AI. After Spiderman got his Grandpa killed we did not see him run off to Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters only 75 miles away from his hometown.

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Like I said before, Taylor is not spiderman. Taylor is not batman. Taylor is Taylor. Taylor is not the tinker either, ghost is. Taylor is just the person that is like a low level brute/ mover that uses the things Ghost creates. Taylor was also bullied worse than spider man ever was. She has no self-esteem, is depressed, and is prone to make stupid decisions. She is also a completely newbie that was given a loaded gun.

Taylor is also a run away with no resources, no contacts, no protection, no nothing. Being alone also lead to her indirectly killing someone because she was not good enough. She seems to be emotionally drained from being alone and that reason. So she sought Ghost out for advice on what she could do. And Ghost suggested the best option she could take and that he felt was the best way to guaranteed Taylor's safety. Meaning Ghost considered all the other options, it's own capability and Taylor's when coming up with a decision. Which was going to the Wards to receive backup, resources, and more importantly for Taylor's mental health, friends.

Ghost also is not a super advance AI but is the SI. Meaning ghost is a transcendent meat-bag that can make mistakes, and will make mistakes.

-edit-

Brockton Bay is also shitty, really really shitty. Taylor is likely to die or get pressed ganged by the various gangs there in a month.

A month, that is the average life expectancy of an independent.

 

[Orannis]

Like I said before, Taylor is not spiderman. Taylor is not batman. Taylor is Taylor.

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Your right. Taylor on day one with just bugs took on Lung a dragon. That was day one. a week latter with 4 people robbed a bank with all of PTR wards and 1 of new wave there and more on the way ohh ya taylor was there. Just taylor with her two arms held back leviathan breaking her spine but did not fail. Tayler latter went and became the kingpin of BB being so powerful that the PTR could not do sneeze without her permitting, till Alexandria came to town. that day JUST Taylor killed Alexandria one of the most powerful capes in the world. this keeps going till the end. Just taylor is made of grit, Just Taylor gets things done. Just Taylor is one of the smartest and most cunning girls of her age with out having super powers making her that way.
Just Taylor (same soul not memories but able to do the same) now has new powers and a on hand tinker. I fear what this Taylor is able to do with no shackles and is the underdog where she dose her best work. Taylor works best when fecal matter hits the ventilation deck. that is what makes taylor Taylor. Taylor works great under pressure.

Taylor is not the tinker either, ghost is.Taylor is just the person that is like a low level brute/ mover that uses the things Ghost creates.

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sooo you are saying she is now 90% better then most capes out there right now going solo. Even better then cannon Taylor.

Brockton Bay is also shitty, really really shitty. Taylor is likely to die or get pressed ganged by the various gangs there in a month.

A month, that is the average life expectancy of an independent.

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i look out my back window and see Ypsilanti i read Worm and thought of Detroit. That city is no worst then Detroit if we had super powers. If we had super powers the city would have most likely been wiped off the face of the planet and in worm i was amazed it was not, but then i also thought it is because 2 of the big 3 are no more then 20 mins fly away from Detroit under there own power and Dragon not far away as well.
Also something that goes into independent if you join up with just one other person you are no longer then independent. Right now there are 3 people should could join with in BB that are also independent and two of them are good one is even in the main story line.

 

[OverReactionGuy]

Your right. Taylor on day one with just bugs took on Lung a dragon. That was day one. a week latter with 4 people robbed a bank with all of PTR wards and 1 of new wave there and more on the way ohh ya taylor was there. Just taylor with her two arms held back leviathan breaking her spine but did not fail. Tayler latter went and became the kingpin of BB being so powerful that the PTR could not do sneeze without her permitting, till Alexandria came to town. that day JUST Taylor killed Alexandria one of the most powerful capes in the world. this keeps going till the end. Just taylor is made of grit, Just Taylor gets things done. Just Taylor is one of the smartest and most cunning girls of her age with out having super powers making her that way.

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It wasn't on day one she took on a dragon. She spent three months doing nothing and then took on a dragon trying to kill herself in a blaze of glory so she could say her life was worth something.

Then she did something stupid like infiltrate the undersiders. Made more poor choices, made more dumb choices, and then ended up alone in the end.

What I am saying is, it took a long time for canon Taylor to build up to that point and she didn't get that way instantly like you seem to believe.

i look out my back window and see Ypsilanti i read Worm and thought of Detroit. That city is no worst then Detroit if we had super powers. If we had super powers the city would have most likely been wiped off the face of the planet and in worm i was amazed it was not, but then i also thought it is because 2 of the big 3 are no more then 20 mins fly away from Detroit under there own power and Dragon not far away as well.

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Wrong. Brockton bay is much worse than any city in America in real life. DO not compare real life to the shittyness that is in Worm's setting, because you'll always come up short.

sooo you are saying she is now 90% better then most capes out there right now going solo. Even better then cannon Taylor.

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No she is not.

Taylor is not some determinater god girl that can do everything perfectly. You are really over inflating Taylor's competence level.

-edit-

Also like I said before Taylor will not leave the city because she is still attached to her father even though she ran away from him when he tried to take Ghost away from her.

On an ill thought out impulse.

 

[Older-than-Time]

Holy...I spent the day killing myself at work and came back to this. I never thought I'd see a debate like this in one of my story threads...

I feel...inspired, actually.

Both of you made great points and I wish I was a good enough writer to explore the intercity option. Yes, Taylor of canon was a suicidal, yet determined girl by the time we read about her. My version of her was just a bit more pliable and near-ready to consider death-by-cape.

I can honestly say that my version of Taylor isn't in the right head-space at this moment. Everyone I've ever met that has had a brush with death (surprisingly a large number of them...I need less crazy friends) admit that they weren't mentally healthy for several months, even years, after it happened. I'm trying to base Taylor on one specific person I came to know.

They nearly died trapped in sinking yacht, stuck in the bathroom below deck. Just five minutes of being trapped traumatized them with claustrophobia and and hydrophobia that they took years to get over. For several months after the incident, they depended heavily on a close friend and basically did near-everything they suggested or jumped to crazy conclusions if left to their own devices. It took a lot of professional help before they even got close to who they were before it all happened.

It was a hard time for them and inspired this version of Taylor. The only thing worse about my Taylor is that she died.

DIED.

Even though she was resurrected and will able to be resurrected again, the thought that she died...that's gotta have fucked her up. She's not gonna be very rational. She's gonna be clingy, easily led along and will tend to trust the most influential person in her life ta this point in time.

That being her Ghost, who instead of being an immensely advanced AI is merely a human trapped in a computer with mental limitations and the ability to make a lot of mistakes and bad judgement calls.

 

[Galerians]

That being her Ghost, who instead of being an immensely advanced AI is merely a human trapped in a computer with mental limitations and the ability to make a lot of mistakes and bad judgement calls.

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This can be easily offset by making Taylor mature a bit and start taking charge of her life more. Ghost can give her options, but make it so that she is ultimately the one who decides what to do.

Also, the previous point about Wards!Taylor being rare is simply because many authors conclude that after being ignored (more like abandoned, really) by the faculty of her school, Taylor has got to have serious problems with authority. This is not counting the inevitability of her finding out Shadow Stalker's true identity, and people have different opinions about how the fallout of such finding should be.

And to make matter worse, we also have to remember that Coil's civilian persona (and some of his goons) has deeply infiltrated the PRT. Some people assume this means that if Taylor joins the Wards, it'd be just a matter of time before she is kidnapped or sabotaged to make it easier for Coil to control her.

 

[Older-than-Time]

This is all true.

Also why I'm putting her in the Wards. You're giving me great ideas that could help but...

...I'm doing things a certain way and I'm not changing my mind about this.

The Taylor of this story is the way she is for a reason. Her joining the Wards is only part of her story. I'm not saying this step is going to be the defining part of the story, where everything is going to work out in her favor. There will be arguments, accusations and even drawn out fights during her time as a Ward.

There are many things different here on this version of Earth-Bet that I've...never outright stated that she'll discover soon.

 

[JamesB]

She gained her powers in the locker, which implies that Sophia, Emma, and Madison were behind it and the bullying campaign that led up to it. When she discovers Sophia = Shadow Stalker and that they are now teammates, things will become interesting, in the Chinese sense of the word.

 

[Rakdos92]

This is all true.

Also why I'm putting her in the Wards. You're giving me great ideas that could help but...

...I'm doing things a certain way and I'm not changing my mind about this.

The Taylor of this story is the way she is for a reason. Her joining the Wards is only part of her story. I'm not saying this step is going to be the defining part of the story, where everything is going to work out in her favor. There will be arguments, accusations and even drawn out fights during her time as a Ward.

There are many things different here on this version of Earth-Bet that I've...never outright stated that she'll discover soon.

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Oh hey, will she spontaneously become a Stormcaster due to the sheer rage when she realizes who SS is?

 

[Older-than-Time]

She gained her powers in the locker, which implies that Sophia, Emma, and Madison were behind it and the bullying campaign that led up to it. When she discovers Sophia = Shadow Stalker and that they are now teammates, things will become interesting, in the Chinese sense of the word.

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Yes, these things are...true, in the technical context of the word.

The person that is behind the mask of Shadow Stalker was part of the bullying campaign, Madison Clements as well. Emma Barnes started it all. These are all facts.

Shadow Stalker is a Ward as well as a few new heroes.

 

[Older-than-Time]

Oh hey, will she spontaneously become a Stormcaster due to the sheer rage when she realizes who SS is?

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No...I'll be using my own take on the classes. I'm sorry to say that not everything will be the same due to...plot.

 

[Rakdos92]

No...I'll be using my own take on the classes. I'm sorry to say that not everything will be the same due to...plot.

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Okay!

 

[OverReactionGuy]

Some people assume this means that if Taylor joins the Wards, it'd be just a matter of time before she is kidnapped or sabotaged to make it easier for Coil to control her.

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Which is honestly kinda dumb. Not going to the Wards means that has a better chance of happening than going to the Wards.

Because the PRT would notice if a Ward goes missing and will go after who the fuck kidnapped her.

-edit-

Not to mention the media would notice.

 

[Galerians]

Which is honestly kinda dumb. Not going to the Wards means that has a better chance of happening than going to the Wards.

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Well of course. Joining Undersiders means she's already technically under his thumb, so no such risk there, while going independent holds the danger of other gangs trying to (forcefully, in most cases) include her to their rank.

Because the PRT would notice if a Ward goes missing and will go after who the fuck kidnapped her.

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Just because the PRT's going after her doesn't mean they'll actually succeed. Coil's got a secret base, and his power gives him two tries at everything.

-edit-

Not to mention the media would notice.

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All the more reason to do it, then. Remember, Coil's trying to discredit Piggot, and a kidnapped Ward is really going to damage her reputation.

 

[OverReactionGuy]

All the more reason to do it, then. Remember, Coil's trying to discredit Piggot, and a kidnapped Ward is really going to damage her reputation.

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Kidnapping a ward also brings down the entire protecorate on his ass, which is not something he could win against.

 

[Galerians]

Kidnapping a ward also brings down the entire protecorate on his ass, which is not something he could win against.

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Wouldn't that be hard to do since he's in cohorts with Cauldron?

 

[OverReactionGuy]

Wouldn't that be hard to do since he's in cohorts with Cauldron?

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Nope, it's his fuck up. The Trumitive wouldn't be able to deny their aid if the situation calls for it. Coil was also more hands off, a simple experiment. Nothing more. So he is really not that important.

 

[Galerians]

Nope, it's his fuck up. The Trumitive wouldn't be able to deny their aid if the situation calls for it. Coil was also more hands off, a simple experiment. Nothing more. So he is really not that important.

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Well, I personally don't think they'll be able to rope in the Triumvirate unless Taylor's got a power with a world-scale oomph, which means it's up to Armsy and his merry band to resolve the problem, and the chance of that succeeding is rather sketchy considering in canon they never quite manage to one up Coil (even after his threat rating goes up for kidnapping Dinah).

EDIT: Also, just because she's kidnapped doesn't mean he'll let the Protectorate to have proof pointing to him being the culprit. Or maybe he can point the blame to the other gangs, who knows?

 

[Older-than-Time]

This all depends on Coil caring enough about a small time hero in training. As far as he knows right now, Taylor was just a Parahuman Tattletale had her eye on or something.

I've not specified in who was doing the actual recruiting yet, have I?

Remember, Lisa first decided on recruiting Taylor due to her power telling her about Taylor's suicidal inclinations. There could have been a similar situation.

It'll come up later, so debate away!

 

[Galerians]

My SI is focused on keeping his Guardian safe, even if it means...omitting details. And if this is another ward story, mind pointing out the others? I happen to like stories that try and make it work.

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Well, I can immediately think a good one. Outcry. The fic has a Wards!Taylor and all sorts of the complications that go with it. There's also Acceleration.

Also, there's a good Quest with Wards!Taylor. Alchemical Solutions. Here, I found you a story-only thread.