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Blanket (Worm)

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Vista: You haven't noticed yet? She IS the grab bag.

Life is difficult for the Heberts, after Danny has a stroke and is confined to a wheelchair. Still, Annette works hard to keep them afloat, and Taylor is smart enough to qualify for a scholarship to Arcadia, while also volunteering at the hospital and trying to help her classmates with their homework.

And then her bus crashes into one of Squealer's vehicles, and everything goes thread-shaped.

What follows is a tangled and woolly tale of a grab-bag cape with extra bag (well, extra everything, really), that tugs at the heart-strings but always returns to its fluffy roots.

Blanket aka "The Diaper Changer" is a Worm fanfiction by ScottotheUnwise, published on Sufficient Velocity.com starting in 2018, and com-pleated in 2020.


This story has all these tropes and probably more:

  • Acceptable Targets: In-Universe, Sophia jokingly chooses Alabaster as her favourite cape, because "You get to punch him and punch him and punch him and nothing ever goes wrong. So there are no worries about overkill and nonlethal methods…"
  • Adaptational Heroism: The Undersiders aren't thieves in this timeline. Lisa is a paid PRT informant who goes by "Oracle", and Rachel is a cat+rodent Master who stops muggings. Lisa recruits Regent to help stop her headaches, after he rescues her from an Empire troublemaker.
  • Adaptational Relationship Change: Taylor and Emma drifted apart gradually after Danny's stroke, instead of being inseparable and then Emma betraying her. They're more or less arm's length friends by the time of the story. Notably, this means that Sophia is her usual abrasive self but has no special hostility toward Taylor.
  • Arrested for Heroism: Shadow Stalker overreacts to one of Uber and Leet's games, shooting a teenager in the leg with a crossbow bolt. When Blanket tries to help out, Shadow Stalker falsely tells the PRT that she's their minion, and Taylor falls under suspicion — for trying to provide first aid and fix Stalker's own mistake.
  • Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Dennis and Chris hire/bribe Taylor with food, in exchange for helping them (mostly Chris) with algebra. She shares several tips from her mother's work, with Baoding balls producing a noticeable improvement in Chris' ability to concentrate.
    Chris: Four issues. Dyscalcula. Dyslexia. And ADHD.
  • Brain Bleach: Leet has actually made brain bleach, which Uber asks for when he learns that Leet isn't wearing any underwear.
  • Bring It: Squealer's tank spins up its improvised tennis-ball-explosive autocannons, but is faced by Dragon's Melusine craft with real missile launchers and gatling weaponry.
    The tiny arms that lifted with the 'come at me bro' gesture said it all.
  • Bullying a Dragon: As Weld points out, it's not very clever for Glam and Shadow Stalker to give a hard time to both Panacea and Blanket.
    Weld: You annoy both healers in group when you are flesh and bone. Big mistake.
  • Cast from Stamina: Giving major healing leaves Taylor worn out. After fixing her father's long-term health complications from his stroke, she sleeps for hours.
  • Clothing Damage: Blanket tends to involuntarily absorb cloth she touches. It's not all bad, since she also tends to make the cloth better, but it can be awkward if, say, she just gave someone a full-body healing and they're no longer wearing their hospital gown afterward.
    Sophia: I suppose they will just have to give you a Striker rating against clothing, now won't they?
  • Combo Platter Powers: Taylor ends up with just about every PRT rating except Tinker. Her cloth form qualifies her as a Changer, and she can adjust its appearance enough for a low Stranger rating. It's also very hard to hurt (high Brute), and heals people on contact (Striker). Plus, the connection between subsumed pieces of cloth turns out to access a pocket dimension, letting her store immense amounts of matter and also rapidly travel between the pieces (Mover).
  • Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon: If Blanket doesn't behave herself, Miss Militia threatens to inform Glenn Chambers that she's open to adding sequins and Bedazzler additions to her Wards costume.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: One of the Image department staff suggested that Madison use the cape name "PMS Avenger". Taylor, upon learning this, asks without any sarcasm whether she killed him for it.
    Seriously, I would have strangled someone who suggested that for me.
  • Don't Sneak Up on Me Like That!: Miss Militia really doesn't cope well with the uncanny valley inherent in Blanket's form. Upon realising that Blanket is in the ventilation shafts, she manages with difficulty to make her large-bore gun dissolve — until Taylor then lashes out at the whole room with cloth strips to clear the dust and mildew away.
    "Um, sure you aren't going to shoot me?" I asked in a small voice.
    Calming down, and dismissing the grenade launcher she'd summoned up, Hannah blinked. "Maybe a little more warning before you do THAT ever again. Kay?"
  • Enemy Mine: Shadow Stalker maintains an informal non-aggression agreement with Lung, letting him know that she doesn't intend to provoke him, because "I like smacking Empire more than I like pushing daisies."
    Lung had not responded per se. But he also hadn't pushed too hard in that direction either.
  • Facepalm: Glenn Chambers is somewhat frustrated by Taylor upstaging Glam's debut as a Ward.
  • False Flag Operation: Shadow Stalker catches a group of Empire 88 members who attacked Emma and Alan Barnes while dressed up as ABB, and she ties them up for Lung to deal with as he sees fit.
    These goons tried to dishonor your name. May I suggest Sweet Baby Ray's sauce.
  • Heartbreak and Ice Cream: Upon learning about Aisha's trigger, Lisa starts to offer the tub of Rocky Road she keeps for occasions like that — then sees Aisha droop and immediately deduces that she's already eaten it.
  • Instant Expert: Professor Rose can make training videos based on a skill she possesses, which immediately make the viewer(s) master that skill — even beyond what the Professor herself knew. Taylor watches two, for acrobatics and gun handling, going from clumsy back-flops and poor shots, to perfect cartwheels and Improbable Aiming Skills. The effect doesn't last forever, but regular practice does help to retain it. Annette doesn't advertise the fact that she can also learn skills instantly herself by watching others use them — even from films.
  • Leeroy Jenkins: Blanket leaps into action against Stormtiger with a cry of "CORDUROY JEEENNNKINNNS!"
  • Living Clothes: Taylor can easily turn herself into a suit on someone else — which makes them bulletproof and quite strong. Panacea beats up multiple gang members who invaded the hospital while wearing pink bunny pyjamas.
  • Loophole Abuse: Aegis points out that technically, gaining extraordinary skills using Professor Rose's power, creating gear using a parahuman power, and patrolling the streets for long enough to become a PRT affiliate, is enough to qualify for the Wards, even without being a parahuman.
  • Loud Sleeper Gag: Glam snores loudly enough to interrupt other people's conversations, and Shadow Stalker isn't far behind — until Panacea has had enough, and they suddenly go silent.
    Panacea: Deviated septum. Too many hits to the face set badly.
  • Mundane Utility: Taylor is a little disappointed that she can't really cut loose with Super-Strength during their house move, since Sophia and Emma are around.
    The one move since I got ALL THE STRENGTH and I can't even use it. That didn't stop me from moving furniture into place without a dolly though.
  • Not So Invincible After All: Bullets bounce off of Blanket's very tough fibres, but getting savaged by Hookwolf reveals that they can be cut, and won't necessarily heal immediately. And damage carries over to her human form.
  • Open Secret: Taylor considers Dennis and Chris' Wards status to be "the worst kept secret in school," and tells them so. Dennis can't do much about it except sigh, though.
  • Paper-Thin Disguise: The "potential rookie Ward" visiting the base is clearly just Vista playing a joke by hiding under a quilt — with her dress and boots still visible underneath — and trying to use a spooky voice. (Except that she then creeps out from under the quilt while Dennis isn't looking, and the quilt moves under its own power to loom over him with glowing red eyes.)
  • Parental Sexuality Squick: Taylor really is very pleased that her dad is better. Really. That doesn't stop her from fleeing the house when she hears her parents in the shower taking advantage of his new health.
    Ew, ew, ew, ew, ewwww.
  • Power Copying: The reporters ask at Blanket's Ward debut whether she copied her healing powers from Panacea, or cloth powers from Parian, but she makes it clear that she's not a power copier, she's more of a lycrathrope.
    Blanket: You know, a wear wolf.
  • Punched Across the Room: Stormtiger derisively dismisses a terry-towel fist — until it punches him through a wall and out of the building.
  • Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Dennis teasingly suggests that their study group should get a room, so they can talk back and forth without disturbing anyone else at the library. Taylor is not impressed.
    Taylor: Get. a. Room?
  • Pungeon Master: Blanket drops pretty much every type of cloth pun there is. The chapter titles do the same, from "Did Knot See That Coming" to "Material Girl".
    "Why are you a Muppet dressed as a civilian?" She poses.
    I raise a finger in shush gesture. "I'm in-cotton-neato."
  • Rescue Equipment Attack: "Glam" hits Blanket on the head with a fire extinguisher, but it doesn't do anything except annoy her.
  • Revenge: Sophia blames herself for her little sister suffering a near-fatal drug overdose, but she blames the Merchants more, and preps to take it out of their hides.
  • Speak in Unison: Taylor doesn't just speak at the same time as her mother, she also shifts to look like a Muppet version of her.
  • Spit Take:
    • After dealing with a few too many of Clockblocker's prank freezes, Blanket deliberately waits for him to be drinking Coke before telling him to relax, "I don't bite. <Beat> On the first date."
    • Danny appreciates Taylor's puns, although he probably doesn't enjoy snorting coffee out of his nose.
  • Squee: Vista is skeptical about Blanket shrinking into a stuffed animal to share a bed — until that stuffed animal becomes a monkey in a tutu.
    I'm glad the soundproofing was in place or the 'Squeee' would have possibly broken the glass in the two windows. The space between her and me shrank suddenly and she enveloped me in a hug.
  • A Taste of Their Own Medicine: After two hours of arguing about unacceptable costume options, the Image department doesn't want to let Taylor leave — so she retaliates by making them wear the costumes they were suggesting.
    Miss obstruction was first, I wrapped her up and took every outer layer stitch off her in one step, putting the Bunny Ninja costume they had suggested initially.
  • Technically Naked Shapeshifter: A staff member from Image blushes and comments that she wouldn't want Taylor's power, because for her debut she'll be naked on TV. Taylor disagrees, since she is clothing.
  • Throwing Off the Disability: Danny is keen to put lots of buckshot through "a certain bedpan".
  • Tracking Device: Taylor isn't able to talk Sophia down from going after a drug dealer in revenge for her little sister getting hurt, but she does hand over her Ward phone and persuade Sophia to take it, so that the PRT can be close behind.
  • Trauma Button: Blanket's initial default form hits just the right combination of "uncanny valley", "The Nightmare Before Christmas", and "boogeyman from under the bed" that Miss Militia promptly shoots her with several different guns. (Fortunately she's unhurt.) It doesn't help that Miss Militia's brother died next to her (shot by a sniper) with a burlap bag over his head bearing face-like markings.
  • Troll: Trickster uses his power to swap the media Q & A cue cards for Taylor's debut, changing them from thoroughly sanitised questions into ones that give teenagers plenty of scope to draw attention, such as asking what kind of weapon and ammunition Shadow Stalker is carrying. Since they're broadcasting live, and things haven't gone far enough to justify the PR hit of cutting the feed, Glenn Chambers is left pulling his hair out.

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