History FanFic / SheWhoSkittersInShadows

The author is [[http://www.fanfiction.net/u/3294719/gibbousmoons gibbousmoons]] and the story has been uploaded both on the Spacebattles [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/she-who-skitters-in-shadows-second-breath.271229/ forum]].

The author is [[http://www.fanfiction.net/u/3294719/gibbousmoons gibbousmoons]] and the story has been uploaded both on the Spacebattles [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/she-who-skitters-in-shadows-second-breath.271229/ forum]] and at [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9651701/1/She-Who-Skitters-in-Darkness fanfiction.net]].

The author is [[http://www.fanfiction.net/u/3294719/gibbousmoons gibbousmoons]] and the story has been uploaded both on the Spacebattles [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/she-who-skitters-in-shadows-second-breath.271229/ forum]] and at [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9651701/1/She-Who-Skitters-in-Darkness fanfiction.net]].

* AcceptableTargets: Skitter takes out her Exaltation-induced bloodlust on criminals like drug runners.

** [[spoiler: She follows it up by wiping the floor with Cherish by NoSelling her emotional manipulation, KOing her teammates after Cherish {{MindRape}}s them into turning on her and then beating the shit of Cherish hand to hand.]]

* GreviousHarmWithABody: [[spoiler: Skitter throws Crawler at Jack Slash and Mannequin.]]

The author is [[http://www.fanfiction.net/u/3294719/gibbousmoons Gibbousmoons]] and the story has been uploaded both on the Spacebattles [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/she-who-skitters-in-shadows-second-breath.271229/ forum]] and at [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9651701/1/She-Who-Skitters-in-Darkness fanfiction.net]].

-> ''When he speaks again, the words are unnatural, warped grotesquely as they slither into my ears, and I collapse to my knees and bury my head in my hands.'' '''"Taylor Hebert. You will listen."''' ''My head is dragged up as if pulled by a string. The shadows on the brick wall to my right change, taking the outline of a man eight feet tall, covered in black armor wrought with a pair of concentric circles I recognize from earlier, a single massive eye. Each word falls like a hammer on my back, driving me further down even as the shadow's grip on my hair holds my head to meet its eye.'' '''"She Who Skitters in Shadows, I give you your order.

''[[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening You are my first agent on this world]], and you seek glory, do you not? Take your glory from the death of nations. Seek fame in the rush of battle. Cast down the mighty beneath your feet, and ruin the world that held you down, forced you to suffer for its amusement!"'''

[[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening You are my first agent on this world]], and you seek glory, do you not? Take your glory from the death of nations. Seek fame in the rush of battle. Cast down the mighty beneath your feet, and ruin the world that held you down, forced you to suffer for its amusement!"'''

-> ''When he speaks again, the words are unnatural, warped grotesquely as they slither into my ears, and I collapse to my knees and bury my head in my hands.'' '''"Taylor Hebert. You will listen."''' ''My head is dragged up as if pulled by a string. The shadows on the brick wall to my right change, taking the outline of a man eight feet tall, covered in black armor wrought with a pair of concentric circles I recognize from earlier, a single massive eye. Each word falls like a hammer on my back, driving me further down even as the shadow's grip on my hair holds my head to meet its eye.'' '''"She Who Skitters in Shadows, I give you your order. [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening You are my first agent on this world]], and you seek glory, do you not? Take your glory from the death of nations. Seek fame in the rush of battle. Cast down the mighty beneath your feet, and ruin the world that held you down, forced you to suffer for its amusement!"'''

* HotterAndSexier: Taylor post-Exaltation. (Abyssals either become fearsomely grotesque or eerily beautiful. She chose the former.)

The author is [[http://www.fanfiction.net/u/3294719/gibbousmoons Gibbousmoons]] and the story has been uploaded both on the Spacebattles [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/she-who-skitters-in-shadows-exalted-worm.267855/ forum]] and at [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9651701/1/She-Who-Skitters-in-Darkness fanfiction.net]].

--> Commenter '''Drakeneisen''': It would be useful for Taylor to know that Lisa wrote "CALL ME" because she couldn't fit CALL ME BECAUSE YOU HAVE A UNIVERSE MURDERING SUPERWEAPON PLUGGED INTO YOUR SOUL AND THE MEREST GLIMPSE INTO ITS STYGIAN DEPTHS TERRIFIES ME onto whatever paper she could find in the restaurant. And not, you know, the obvious conclusion.

-> [[LittleNo "No."]] ''I whisper, words dragged from my lips despite the raw terror of the mask before me. I continue to speak, face flush as I admit what I've dreamed about for so long, each word forced out with an effort of will that leaves my arms shaking, my legs limp beneath me, but I speak to the monster, and I say, "I want to be a hero." Horrible visions flash into my mind, Brockton Bay razed by a shockwave, drowned beneath the waves, and torn apart by internal power struggles. "I won't do it. I'm not that kind of person. [[BadPowersGoodPeople I want to help, not hurt.]]"''

* DealWithTheDevil: In this fic, Skitter's ordeal in the locker lasted for three days, until she was too thirsty to speak or cry for help. When she was on the brink of death, the Mask of Winters offered her an Abyssal Exaltation, which she accepted. (Although she refused to use her newfound powers for evil- see page quote.)

* AttractivenessUpgrade: Taylor post-Exaltation. (Abyssals either become fearsomely grotesque or eerily beautiful. She chose the former.)

* HorrifyingHero/DarkIsNotEvil: Skitter, for different reasons than in canon.

-> When he speaks again, the words are unnatural, warped grotesquely as they slither into my ears, and I collapse to my knees and bury my head in my hands. '''"Taylor Hebert. You will listen."''' My head is dragged up as if pulled by a string. The shadows on the brick wall to my right change, taking the outline of a man eight feet tall, covered in black armor wrought with a pair of concentric circles I recognize from earlier, a single massive eye. Each word falls like a hammer on my back, driving me further down even as the shadow's grip on my hair holds my head to meet its eye. '''"She Who Skitters in Shadows, I give you your order. [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening You are my first agent on this world]], and you seek glory, do you not? Take your glory from the death of nations. Seek fame in the rush of battle. Cast down the mighty beneath your feet, and ruin the world that held you down, forced you to suffer for its amusement!"'''
-> Silence rings in my ears, and I swallow nervously. I close my eyes.
-> [[LittleNo "No."]] I whisper, words dragged from my lips despite the raw terror of the mask before me. I continue to speak, face flush as I admit what I've dreamed about for so long, each word forced out with an effort of will that leaves my arms shaking, my legs limp beneath me, but I speak to the monster, and I say, "I want to be a hero." Horrible visions flash into my mind, Brockton Bay razed by a shockwave, drowned beneath the waves, and torn apart by internal power struggles. "I won't do it. I'm not that kind of person. [[BadPowersGoodPeople I want to help, not hurt.]]"

* DarkIsNotEvil/HorrifyingHero: Skitter, for different reasons than in canon.

--> I started off slow, setting a steady pace along the side of the mountain trail, taking care not to slip on the mud that was left from four days of rainfall. Then I started to accelerate, moving faster and faster down the drying grass until I was sprinting flat out, at a speed I couldn’t even care to guess at, but which was probably qualifying me for a Mover rating, maybe a one.
--> Then I accelerated again, skimming flecks of power and channeling them to my legs to turn my sprint into a succession of flying leaps. It wasn’t flying, but I swore that one day I’d manage it, probably by being in mortal danger, if Clockblocker was right. He might have been. I hadn’t found a better way to group my nebulous powerset so far, and the PRT was content to write “Trump/Survival” on my file. Maybe if I threw myself off a cliff?

* EmotionlessGirl: Skitter's Limit Break (which she undergoes habitually for answering to her true name and attending school) makes her one for 4 days every month.

* ShoutOut: Myrrdin classifying Skitter's powers as '[[{{FanFic/GloriousShotgunPrincess}} bullshit magic]].'

* EmotionlessGirl: Skitter's Limit Break (which she undergoes habitually for answering to her true name and attending )

* NameThatUnfoldsLikeLotusBlossom: Taylor's parahuman codename- ''She Who Skitters In Shadows''- which she requests after remembering she had it from a past life. Effectively, though, [[InSpiteOfANail everyone just calls her Skitter.]]
* SeenItAll: [[HealingHands Panacea]] is not especially surprised or disturbed [[spoiler:when an unconscious Taylor starts drinking her blood]] and after Taylor wakes up, calmly returns to the hospital.