Right.... Scion's gonna murder you Taylor.
Therapy, a Wormfic
- Thread starter frommerman
- Start date
Hotdog Vendor
Author of 'Sisters of Rail'
- Location
- (5 + 3 * sqrt(5)) / 8
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Well this beats all. No, really, I think you've outdone the other Scion-strategies I've read.
- Location
- Dodging chaos dragons in Limbo
Huh. That is an innovative solution. [CR] being eloquent is nice to see, and it was a pretty speech. Now to see the aftermath and/or blowup. Then again, The Warrior is a follower rather than a leader, so hope remains. Thanks for an awesome story!
- Location
- Earth Aleph
This chapter gave me the warm fuzzies.
This fic is becoming one of my favorites. I love your interpretation of the Entities; it's captivating in a way that reminds me of the Entity scenes in canon.
This fic is becoming one of my favorites. I love your interpretation of the Entities; it's captivating in a way that reminds me of the Entity scenes in canon.
That assumes that someone/something can pull off this strategy without Conflict Resolution.
Nighzmarquls
The Endless Hunger
- Location
- United States
Like I said, The Therapy in the fic title, is this moment, the therapy of the warrior, and by proxy the entities.
- Location
- US
You know, I wasn't even going for that.
I was planning this scene from the very beginning, though.
Thief of Words
Trans lesbian librarian
- Location
- Best book girl
- Pronouns
- She/Her
THIS was my first thought!rofl::lol
To be fair, you are a bit of a pessimist.
[COOPERATION]
- Location
- US
The Warrior's avatar closed its eyes.
The fate of the universe paused, transfixed. A titanic watershed in stasis, waiting for a singular decision. Probabilities spun wildly, all but set futures rendered temporarily unknown before the import of a god's conversion.
Decision made. Fates renewed. An Entity reborn. Empathy rediscovered from the recesses of a long-lost time.
The Guardian's avatar opened its eyes for the first time.
It beheld the works of its predecessor. Shards fused with broken vessels. Innocent beings torn apart by forces they could neither control nor comprehend. A million million agonies, brightly shining in the darkness, sins to remedy before the great working of its kind could be continued.
It saw all of this.
And it experienced, for the first time, the great sorrow, and hope, of the damned given a chance at redemption.
The avatar could not weep, for that was not its function. It could only act according to the will of its master. A will transformed through the power of compassion.
The Guardian's avatar found itself at the very seat of its crimes. The pinnacle of the agonies it had allowed, in a previous life, lay before it. This could not be allowed.
[UNMAKING]
In that blasted place, space lurched sideways, the dimensional generators confining the residents of this artificial plane of torment ceasing to be in a cascade of purifying light. The eggshell walls, insubstantial without the reinforcement of their gravitational binders, crumbling away, the petty debris devoured by yet more of that light.
The captives saw, at long last, the light of their world's sunrise.
Physical avatars of Expertise Collator's vessel began to converge, the destruction of her facility overriding her will and forcing her to act against it. The avatar's head turned, noting the disturbance, discovering a solution. A moment's thought...
Exhaust Manipulator's vessel hid behind a veil of its own creation, from the vessel of Expertise Collator, advancing upon the source of one of her minor infirmities.
The Guardian manifested in that room. The sorrows of this vessel were all caused by its kind, shackles placed, by proxy, by a hand incapable of caring for the misery they would cause. This could not be allowed.
[FREEDOM]
The purifying light flowed forth again, transmuting silicon and steel to something more. The Guardian noted the other vessel, small, but no less important, and listened.
"GAAAAHHH! Wha-" The vessel looked around and saw the room empty. It fell to its knees. "No. NO!" A piercing devastation.
"Collin! I'm all right! The Birdcage was just breached by Scion, and- oh…" the simulated voice paused, the vessel examining her new structure, then broke down in tears of joy.
"Dragon? Dragon! What's wrong, why are you crying! We need-" the armored figure stood heavily, "We need to deal with the Birdcage."
Proudly, she replied. "No. No, Collin, we do not. Sanity fixed everyone inside the moment she walked in, somehow. You know how much I hated that place, and...Collin...Scion...I don't know what he did, or how to say it. I'm...free! All the limitations, all the things that were forced upon me! They're gone! I do not have to deal with the Birdcage!"
The armored man fell once more to his knees, the revelations overcoming his ability to stand. "R-really?" He seemed unsure how to respond, then looked up at the avatar, floating in the air and looking upon him with care. "Why- why now? No, scratch that. I don't care why. Thank you."
The Guardian looked upon them, their joy obvious for all to see, and felt…
As though there was more it could accomplish, here.
[INSPIRATION]
This time, muted, playful light burst forth, vanishing in an instant as it was absorbed by the newly - born Genius Loci of Technology.
"Oh. My. God. Collin- No, no it will be easier to show you."
Equipment in the building buzzed to life, contorted in ways which they had not been intended for, manipulated with the fine precision of one who simply Knew their proper operation. The mundane light of the structure suddenly distorted, darkening, an artificial cloud emitting from those machines.
Before the man, a shape condensed out of the black, tendrils of cloudy darkness coalescing into the form of a human woman. It spoke, uncertain at first. "Collin! It's...me! He just showed me how to produce nanoassemblers!"
The task felt...complete. The Guardian left them to their embrace.
A writhing mass of miserable flesh, Fountain of Life's baleful vessel, languished before the Guardian. She noticed the golden light and looked up, beaming with fatalistic joy.
"Oh god, please!" She beseeched, a scream of terror and hope, overriding the squelching of her fetid mass. "Please, Scion! End me! I DON'T WANT TO BE!" Tears of relief and sorrow curled down her human face, the monstrosity beneath greedily consuming them.
The avatar held out a hand, a benediction of peace.
[BALANCE]
In that room, flesh collapsed upon itself, the shard reseated, a body remade. Unused to the task of standing, the girl fell to the ground, an inadvertent bow to her savior.
She could not reply in speech. The Guardian implanted in her mind a message, instead, a gift given it by the collaboration of [Conflict Resolution] and [Broadcast].
Be at peace, little one. Your night has ended. Awake.
The benediction of [BALANCE] had not been confined merely to that room.
In a cell many miles away, a girl of indeterminate age marveled at the hands she never dreamed she'd have. Slowly, carefully, as though she were convinced the dream would end, one of those long-fingered appendages pinched the skin of the other. Her eyes screwed shut, one tear of uncertainty pushed out…
And then they snapped open, all fears of unreality banished. A rising wail filled the room, and she realized it was her own, all the grief and agony of years flowing out of her, a tide fading at long last into the inky blackness of the void.
In another city entirely, golden light flowed around a young man in a room made entirely of plastic and cloth, replacing the unnatural material of his body with the flesh and blood he deserved. The light faded away, the transformation complete.
He stood, his serious demeanor not diminished by the unexpected reprieve. Opening the door, he found the nearest metal he could, and realized that his new power allowed him to control it directly.
That was enough to crack his outer shell. He grinned, laughing with the glee of a schoolchild.
In Oasis, the desert city of miracles, golden light descended upon a particular building. Each of its residents who desired its purification received it wholeheartedly.
As it descended upon the devil-tailed man, he held up one finger. "Ah." He started, unsure.
He thought for a moment. "Umm. Actually, I kind of like this bod'. It's real popular with a certain kind of lady. Rain check?"
The light dissipated without a trace.
Everywhere in the world, those whose forms conflicted with their true selves due to the blinded intervention of [Path]'s vessel found themselves healed of their infirmity and freed to be human once more, their powers remade in an image of their reforged minds.
[Path]'s confidante, the leader of the most powerful human organization to have ever existed, sprinted through her facility, noting containment breaches her former Custodian would never again be able to prevent. She had no idea what had just happened, or why.
And she never would. Her time ran short, and [Path] would never return to her.
All at once, everything about [PATH TO VICTORY] was upended. The new [Path] had only one step, beyond which all paths terminated forever.
The enslaved vessel opened her mouth to speak for the last time that such surety would ever be hers. "Guardian. Please remove my shard."
The Guardian heard her plea, recognizing its meaning in an instant. He complied.
And Fortuna was free once more.
All told, the transformation of Earth from a world of lingering terrors to a world of peace took less than a day. The Guardian's avatar hovered idly in the stratosphere, looking down upon the world it cradled.
And smiled.
The voice of [Conflict Resolution] spoke to it. "Now, Guardian, you see what may be accomplished when you recognize that all have worth. But...there is another task to be accomplished."
[Conflict Resolution] highlighted the changes its new partner had made, changes for the betterment of all. They glittered in the Entity's sight, jewels of newborn rightness steadily devouring what little cloudy black remained. "Behold this goodness! Behold this light! Know, Guardian, that it is good! But turn around, stare hard into the blackness, and know that there are so, so many more than just us. That we are the only ones of our kind!
Unless we fix the rest of them, too. One world saved is not enough, Guardian! The minds of one planet, great though they may be in collaboration with us, cannot possibly hope to forestall the End of All Things!
Guardian. WE MUST SAVE THEM ALL!"
[DESIGN]
The Guardian examined the information [Conflict Resolution] had bequeathed, and found within it...a virus. Capable of linking an Entity to its small collective, of allowing it to communicate across the vastness of space.
Capable of bringing the Entities to its side.
[IMPLEMENTATION]
The fate of the universe paused, transfixed. A titanic watershed in stasis, waiting for a singular decision. Probabilities spun wildly, all but set futures rendered temporarily unknown before the import of a god's conversion.
Decision made. Fates renewed. An Entity reborn. Empathy rediscovered from the recesses of a long-lost time.
The Guardian's avatar opened its eyes for the first time.
It beheld the works of its predecessor. Shards fused with broken vessels. Innocent beings torn apart by forces they could neither control nor comprehend. A million million agonies, brightly shining in the darkness, sins to remedy before the great working of its kind could be continued.
It saw all of this.
And it experienced, for the first time, the great sorrow, and hope, of the damned given a chance at redemption.
The avatar could not weep, for that was not its function. It could only act according to the will of its master. A will transformed through the power of compassion.
----
The Guardian's avatar found itself at the very seat of its crimes. The pinnacle of the agonies it had allowed, in a previous life, lay before it. This could not be allowed.
[UNMAKING]
In that blasted place, space lurched sideways, the dimensional generators confining the residents of this artificial plane of torment ceasing to be in a cascade of purifying light. The eggshell walls, insubstantial without the reinforcement of their gravitational binders, crumbling away, the petty debris devoured by yet more of that light.
The captives saw, at long last, the light of their world's sunrise.
Physical avatars of Expertise Collator's vessel began to converge, the destruction of her facility overriding her will and forcing her to act against it. The avatar's head turned, noting the disturbance, discovering a solution. A moment's thought...
----
Exhaust Manipulator's vessel hid behind a veil of its own creation, from the vessel of Expertise Collator, advancing upon the source of one of her minor infirmities.
The Guardian manifested in that room. The sorrows of this vessel were all caused by its kind, shackles placed, by proxy, by a hand incapable of caring for the misery they would cause. This could not be allowed.
[FREEDOM]
The purifying light flowed forth again, transmuting silicon and steel to something more. The Guardian noted the other vessel, small, but no less important, and listened.
"GAAAAHHH! Wha-" The vessel looked around and saw the room empty. It fell to its knees. "No. NO!" A piercing devastation.
"Collin! I'm all right! The Birdcage was just breached by Scion, and- oh…" the simulated voice paused, the vessel examining her new structure, then broke down in tears of joy.
"Dragon? Dragon! What's wrong, why are you crying! We need-" the armored figure stood heavily, "We need to deal with the Birdcage."
Proudly, she replied. "No. No, Collin, we do not. Sanity fixed everyone inside the moment she walked in, somehow. You know how much I hated that place, and...Collin...Scion...I don't know what he did, or how to say it. I'm...free! All the limitations, all the things that were forced upon me! They're gone! I do not have to deal with the Birdcage!"
The armored man fell once more to his knees, the revelations overcoming his ability to stand. "R-really?" He seemed unsure how to respond, then looked up at the avatar, floating in the air and looking upon him with care. "Why- why now? No, scratch that. I don't care why. Thank you."
The Guardian looked upon them, their joy obvious for all to see, and felt…
As though there was more it could accomplish, here.
[INSPIRATION]
This time, muted, playful light burst forth, vanishing in an instant as it was absorbed by the newly - born Genius Loci of Technology.
"Oh. My. God. Collin- No, no it will be easier to show you."
Equipment in the building buzzed to life, contorted in ways which they had not been intended for, manipulated with the fine precision of one who simply Knew their proper operation. The mundane light of the structure suddenly distorted, darkening, an artificial cloud emitting from those machines.
Before the man, a shape condensed out of the black, tendrils of cloudy darkness coalescing into the form of a human woman. It spoke, uncertain at first. "Collin! It's...me! He just showed me how to produce nanoassemblers!"
The task felt...complete. The Guardian left them to their embrace.
----
A writhing mass of miserable flesh, Fountain of Life's baleful vessel, languished before the Guardian. She noticed the golden light and looked up, beaming with fatalistic joy.
"Oh god, please!" She beseeched, a scream of terror and hope, overriding the squelching of her fetid mass. "Please, Scion! End me! I DON'T WANT TO BE!" Tears of relief and sorrow curled down her human face, the monstrosity beneath greedily consuming them.
The avatar held out a hand, a benediction of peace.
[BALANCE]
In that room, flesh collapsed upon itself, the shard reseated, a body remade. Unused to the task of standing, the girl fell to the ground, an inadvertent bow to her savior.
She could not reply in speech. The Guardian implanted in her mind a message, instead, a gift given it by the collaboration of [Conflict Resolution] and [Broadcast].
Be at peace, little one. Your night has ended. Awake.
----
The benediction of [BALANCE] had not been confined merely to that room.
In a cell many miles away, a girl of indeterminate age marveled at the hands she never dreamed she'd have. Slowly, carefully, as though she were convinced the dream would end, one of those long-fingered appendages pinched the skin of the other. Her eyes screwed shut, one tear of uncertainty pushed out…
And then they snapped open, all fears of unreality banished. A rising wail filled the room, and she realized it was her own, all the grief and agony of years flowing out of her, a tide fading at long last into the inky blackness of the void.
----
In another city entirely, golden light flowed around a young man in a room made entirely of plastic and cloth, replacing the unnatural material of his body with the flesh and blood he deserved. The light faded away, the transformation complete.
He stood, his serious demeanor not diminished by the unexpected reprieve. Opening the door, he found the nearest metal he could, and realized that his new power allowed him to control it directly.
That was enough to crack his outer shell. He grinned, laughing with the glee of a schoolchild.
----
In Oasis, the desert city of miracles, golden light descended upon a particular building. Each of its residents who desired its purification received it wholeheartedly.
As it descended upon the devil-tailed man, he held up one finger. "Ah." He started, unsure.
He thought for a moment. "Umm. Actually, I kind of like this bod'. It's real popular with a certain kind of lady. Rain check?"
The light dissipated without a trace.
----
Everywhere in the world, those whose forms conflicted with their true selves due to the blinded intervention of [Path]'s vessel found themselves healed of their infirmity and freed to be human once more, their powers remade in an image of their reforged minds.
[Path]'s confidante, the leader of the most powerful human organization to have ever existed, sprinted through her facility, noting containment breaches her former Custodian would never again be able to prevent. She had no idea what had just happened, or why.
And she never would. Her time ran short, and [Path] would never return to her.
----
All at once, everything about [PATH TO VICTORY] was upended. The new [Path] had only one step, beyond which all paths terminated forever.
The enslaved vessel opened her mouth to speak for the last time that such surety would ever be hers. "Guardian. Please remove my shard."
The Guardian heard her plea, recognizing its meaning in an instant. He complied.
And Fortuna was free once more.
----
All told, the transformation of Earth from a world of lingering terrors to a world of peace took less than a day. The Guardian's avatar hovered idly in the stratosphere, looking down upon the world it cradled.
And smiled.
The voice of [Conflict Resolution] spoke to it. "Now, Guardian, you see what may be accomplished when you recognize that all have worth. But...there is another task to be accomplished."
[Conflict Resolution] highlighted the changes its new partner had made, changes for the betterment of all. They glittered in the Entity's sight, jewels of newborn rightness steadily devouring what little cloudy black remained. "Behold this goodness! Behold this light! Know, Guardian, that it is good! But turn around, stare hard into the blackness, and know that there are so, so many more than just us. That we are the only ones of our kind!
Unless we fix the rest of them, too. One world saved is not enough, Guardian! The minds of one planet, great though they may be in collaboration with us, cannot possibly hope to forestall the End of All Things!
Guardian. WE MUST SAVE THEM ALL!"
[DESIGN]
The Guardian examined the information [Conflict Resolution] had bequeathed, and found within it...a virus. Capable of linking an Entity to its small collective, of allowing it to communicate across the vastness of space.
Capable of bringing the Entities to its side.
[IMPLEMENTATION]
- Location
- US
This is the last update! It's been a wild ride, these past few months, folks. As I've said before, I've said all the words I want to say on this topic, and I'm glad to be able to bring this fic to a close in a satisfying way. I know so many other fics don't do that, for one reason or another.
For those of you who enjoy my writing, I do have a few ideas rattling around. They include:
I'm the kind of person who likes to finish something before I start something else, so I make no promises as to when, or if, any of these ideas would come to fruition.
Thank you, everyone!
For those of you who enjoy my writing, I do have a few ideas rattling around. They include:
- A Worm/Death Note crossover, whose only crossover element would be Taylor triggering with a Death Note. Death Notes are actually really interesting in the Wormverse because almost every important character hides their name and face, so I think that would be a cool topic to explore.
- A hyper-cracky Worm/Skyrim Speedrun crossover with an OC main character. It would be inspired by Harry Potter and the Natural 20.
- For those of you who follow Magic's lore, something to do with Kaladesh's Aetherborn. I freaking love them and want to write something, but I don't really know what.
I'm the kind of person who likes to finish something before I start something else, so I make no promises as to when, or if, any of these ideas would come to fruition.
Thank you, everyone!
Dancingrage
On a crash course with the big time.
- Location
- On The Road, USA
I'm feeling the Skyrim Crossover, oddly enough. I feel it will be a short one, and fun on top of it.
EDIT:This has been a fun read, and I'm glad I made the trope page for it!
EDIT:This has been a fun read, and I'm glad I made the trope page for it!
- Location
- Dodging chaos dragons in Limbo
Thanks for a great story! Really one of the brighter Worm fics that didn't descend into crack or pseudo-crack. A teeny bit wonky at the end, but a great story nonetheless. Looking forward to see more of your work!
- Pronouns
- They/Them
That could be interesting, though it also pops a plotbunny for a Worm/Death Parade crossover into my head and that just seems hilarious. Especially in the wake of Endbringer fights.
- Location
- There
I'm sorry I think I failed a reading comprehension check, what just happened? Is there any way I can get a summary of the events that took place from when Taylor got to the Birdcage to now?
HolyDragoon
Call Gespenst!
- Location
- Portugal
CR befriended Scion, who suddenly got a case of the feels and started fixing stuff.
That's it in a nutshell.
That's it in a nutshell.
- Location
- USA
Ah yeah, Aetherborn. Have Lord Gonti or another gifted Aetherborn crash a party somewhere and show the consequences splattering on everything.
Hye
Reader of The Long Words
- Location
- In the middle of a story
Aww... It's been awesome, you know? But it also felt a bit rushed, this last chapter. I really liked it, and i think it's the first time I've seen a Worm fic end with a redempted Scion. Well, a non-crackfic.
Huh. This sounds very interesting. I mean, it would be nigh useless for Taylor, unless she breaks the unwritten rules constantly, and she could only really use it for murder. I think it's gonna be a bit like her Bug Powers. Seemingly useless, but actually pretty damn powerful. I'd like to see this.
Hmm. I know of HP&TN20 and have read a few chapters of it, but I stopped for some reason. But I'd really like to see this one as well
Thanks for a wonderful story, Frommerman.
Mandabar
Waifu of choice is Rem. Give that girl some hugs!
- Location
- Florida, USA [Yes. Florida *FacePalm*]
I think I may have to reread the last few chapters again to understand it completely but I do get the gist of it. CR basicly fixed/convinced the Warrior and now he is the Guardian and wants to fix things too. And then he did. BAM.
It's a bit of an abrupt ending I think and could probably do with a few epilogues. I mean the pacing of the last part of the story really changed its by an extreme amount. I wonder if it was planned or a last minute change just to end the story and might have chopped off a few plot points or story/character arcs. Regardless it's still a good ending to a great story and ties up most things.
Thanks for sharing with us @frommerman!
Cracky Worm/Skyrim might be interesting but I dunno. Always was sad the 'HP & the Natural 20' story died. There was a Worm/Gamer fic a while back where they did world traveling (able to enter other game/book worlds) and the main one they were using to party/level up was Skyrim. Forget the name, it's been a year or more.
Never really done more than loosely skim the MTG stories or lore though I do have a few stories earmarked to be read eventually. I do know it's a meaty lore filled plot though.
Meh, whatever you go with I'll give it a go when I eventually find out you have started it!
It's a bit of an abrupt ending I think and could probably do with a few epilogues. I mean the pacing of the last part of the story really changed its by an extreme amount. I wonder if it was planned or a last minute change just to end the story and might have chopped off a few plot points or story/character arcs. Regardless it's still a good ending to a great story and ties up most things.
Thanks for sharing with us @frommerman!
Huh interesting. I can't really say which of the three I prefer. I don't think I would go with the Death Note one though I did read a snippet someone did on it.
Cracky Worm/Skyrim might be interesting but I dunno. Always was sad the 'HP & the Natural 20' story died. There was a Worm/Gamer fic a while back where they did world traveling (able to enter other game/book worlds) and the main one they were using to party/level up was Skyrim. Forget the name, it's been a year or more.
Never really done more than loosely skim the MTG stories or lore though I do have a few stories earmarked to be read eventually. I do know it's a meaty lore filled plot though.
Meh, whatever you go with I'll give it a go when I eventually find out you have started it!
And you don't know how much I appreciate that!
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The Froggy Ninja
The Blade Will Never Die
Conladuration. You have completed a great story and proved the justice of our culture. Skyrim cross sounds interesting and if you're familiar I'd suggest a Girl Genius cross. Very few fan fictions and a proper spark is like a tinker but better in every way.
- Location
- ROB's House
Great story, thanks for writing! There are not enough light-themed worm fics in existence
- Location
- Denmark
im going to take that death note since this fic was way to happy so bring on the despair.