Taylor Hebert, Pizzeria Tycoon
is a fanfiction of Worm by Emissary.
Instead of Triggering, Taylor drops out to open a pizza shop, with the financial backing of Thomas Calvert. As a neutral place, both Heroes and Villains are welcome.
The fic is complete, although a rewrite was only partially completed before the author declared it a Dead Fic.
This fanfic contains examples of the following:
- 30 Minutes, or It's Free!: Amusingly averted for a pizza fic. Large orders can take 1-2 hours to carry out, and Taylor doesn't do delivery until she hires Rune.
- Adaptational Wimp: Taylor is still unpowered in this fic.
- Badass Normal: Not having powers doesn't keep Taylor from making a difference.
- Blazing Inferno Hellfire Sauce: The Raging Dragon is a pizza that uses this as a sauce, rating over 4 million on the Scoville scale. The original recipe came from Bakuda, but had to be modified, because several ingredients were illegal and some were actually lethal. The Napalm Bomber is a downplayed version, at only 550,000 Scovilles, and was initially invented because Taylor realised she didn't dare to taste-test the Raging Dragon.
- The Raging Dragon is so spicy that the only people who can actually handle it are a group of Merchants who are either too high to care or are Unaffected by Spice due to their drug high. The other gangs use it as a test of manliness.
- Alabaster attempts the Raging Dragon, resulting in "over an hour of screaming, crying, and praying," including an extended time in the bathroom.
- While relatively mild compared to the Raging Dragon, the Napalm Bomber is STILL hot enough to send Aegis running for a toilet and incapacitate Clockblocker.Disclaimer: Due to the dangers of consuming The Raging Dragon, all customers must sign the provided waiver, agreeing that Slice of Life Pizzeria is free of any and all responsibility for the consequences of ordering and/or consuming a Raging Dragon pizza. Slice of Life Pizzeria does not endorse any challenge, dare, or contest involving the consumption of Raging Dragon pizza(s). Slice of Life Pizzeria offers no prize or reward for ordering or eating a Raging Dragon pizza. Order at your own risk and may God have mercy on your soul.
- The epilogue mentions an enhanced "Crawler style" Raging Dragon, which is over nine million Scoville units, and isn't advertised on the menu. Taylor wears a hazmat suit to prepare it.
- Berserk Button: Messing with Taylor and her Pizzeria quickly become this for the Villains of the Bay. Emma, Sophia, and Madison inadvertently sit on this button when they taunt her in her own pizzeria.
- Civil War: Empire 88 descends into one by the end of the fic, with Hookwolf, Stormtiger, Cricket, and Rune breaking off and turning on Kaiser after having been deradicalized by hanging around the Truce Zone of the Pizzeria.
- Cluster F-Bomb: Hookwolf drops a boatload of racial slurs in quick succession during his first pizza order from Taylor.
- Didn't Think This Through:
- At the beginning of the story, Taylor ultimately doesn't understand the intricacies of the business before she decides to start a pizzeria, and Coil's assistance that keeps Taylor from going under.
- Taylor and Alice are glad that they've finalized the plan for the Raging Dragon and actually make it... only to realize after it's out of the oven that it's at over 4 million on the scoville scale, and neither of them are stupid enough to eat it.
- The Dreaded: As a pizza with a spiciness of over 4 million on the scoville scale, the Raging Dragon quickly cements a reputation as this.
- Drink-Based Characterization: Comes in both food and beverage varieties.
- Rune switching from Fanta to Coca-Cola is a subtle sign of Character Development as she aligns from Krieg's ring to Hookwolf's (Fanta was first made by a German subdivision of Coca-Cola, while the primary company is American), foreshadowing Hookwolf's ring deradicalizing and breaking away from the Empire.
- Stormtiger orders pizza with various wacky 'health food' toppings in an Overcomplicated Menu Order.
- Armsmaster ordering a pineapple pizza with anchovies gets mocked online. This is later revealed to be a joke by Assault. Armsmaster's actual order is nutritionally complete, and almost as bad for clashing tastes.
- Enemy Mine: Emma, Sophia, and Madison find themselves on the receiving end of this, with the entire Brockton Bay Rogue's Gallery ganging up on them after they bully Taylor in her own pizzeria.
- Hard Truth Aesop: The point of divergence from canon is Taylor deciding that her pride isn't worth putting up Emma's abuse anymore and choosing to drop out of Winslow. The moral is that putting up with abusive environments is a no-win situation, and walking away from that environment is the best solution.
- Heroic BSoD: Taylor goes catatonic from a panic attack twice- first when Glory Girl is intemperate with her aura, and again when her bullies find her and mock her in her own pizzeria. In both cases she shuts down due to catatonia and the pizzeria immediately closes.
- Masochist's Meal: The Raging Dragon.
- Nice to the Waiter:
- Coil is this as he helps Taylor start her pizzeria.
- Hookwolf is shown to be a generous tipper, at one point paying over $75 in taxes and gratuities.
- Noble Demon: For the most part, Brockton Bay's criminal gangs behave professionally at Taylor's pizzeria, agreeing to wait in line and pay the bill. They also protect Taylor from her bullies, having come to respect her quality and service.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Taylor when Hookwolf orders pizza- and again when she learns it was him who she sassed on the phone.
- Taylor when Glory Girl ramps up her aura in the pizza shop, causing her first Heroic BSoD.
- Pizzeria patrons whenever someone orders a Raging Dragon Pizza.
- The Wards after eating a Napalm Bomber pizza, and realizing how spicy it is.
- Taylor when the Trio start bullying her in her own pizzeria, prompting a second and more severe Heroic BSoD.
- Kaiser when a contingent of deradicalized Empire separatists led by Hookwolf start a Civil War in Empire 88.
- Overcomplicated Menu Order: Stormtiger and to a lesser extent Armsmaster.
- Punny Name: Taylor's Pizzeria is called Slice of Life.
- Pet the Dog: Coil bankrolls a one-person small business as a charity case. He later hires Faultline's Crew to protect the pizzeria when Taylor is catatonic.
- Shout-Out:
- Clockblocker at one point shouts "Shut up and take my money!" when ordering a pizza.
- "Primo Victoria" starts playing on a portable boom-box as Empire 88 descends into Civil War.
- Shown Their Work: Fanta was created in Nazi Germany, as the local division of Coca-Cola couldn't access the syrup needed to make Coca-Cola due to the American embargo.
- Slice of Life: Played Straight and Lampshaded.
- Toilet Humor: Given the pizzeria sells two separate spicy pizzas, the inevitable blown-out gastrointestinal tracts (including when Clockblocker tries a slice of Napalm Bomber pizza) are always Played For Laughs.
- Truce Zone: Taylor's Pizzeria is this, enforced by gratuities and 'taxes' on Hero and Villain alike. Those who assault the keeper of the peace will be chased out and ganged up on, as Emma, Sophia, and Madison learn the hard way.
