History Fanfic / Constellations

* SheCleansUpNicely: Yuuta and his friends initially remember Taylor as a bit of a butterface from their earlier interactions with her at Winslow, but after Taylor comes out in a kimono after asking Yuuta's grandmother for help, Yuuta concludes that the clothes really do make the man, or in this case, miko.

-->''You never do anything.''
-->'''Carol:''' No, I suppose I don't.

* ImNotAHeroIm: Taylor has to reaffirm to everyone that she isn't a cape, just a regular girl with a very weird dog. Very few people believe her.

* INeedAFreakingDrink: The reaction of everyone [[spoiler:when they find out that clearing out the E88 to get Lung to buy up the land containing the shrine and the surrounding properties and gift it all to Taylor was all so that Sunny... could dig up a hot spring on the property.]]
--> '''Taylor:''' So I brought out some sake from Sunny's stash, does anyone want to-
--> '''Lung: Yes.'''

* IResembleThatRemark: Armsmaster comments to Taylor that Good Dog has a Master effect that coerces law enforcement officers to pet her. Taylor answers that Sunny doesn't need to coerce anyone to pet her - he's doing it right now. Armsmaster is... shocked when he realizes it.

** As befitting the irony that comes with getting parahuman powers, Danny Hebert, the union man dedicated to helping workers and labourers get good, paying jobs, triggered with the power of TheMinionMaster, giving him all the cheap, unpaid labor that anyone could ask for.

* TheManBehindTheMan: Sophia was this for Emma. With her reinforcing the "Hunter-Prey" line, and providing backup in the form of physical strength and numbers, Emma was able to bully Taylor with relatively little stopping her. Once Sophia is caught in her Shadow Stalker outfit, things rapidly go downhill for her. While some of this can be laid at the hands of Taylor getting a character witness and the ABB closing ranks around "the Miko," Emma notably worsens once Sophia is permanently out of the picture, undergoing a minor mental breakdown.

* TheMinionMaster: Chessman's [[spoiler:(Danny Hebert's)]] power. He can imbue little toys or figurines with his power and [[MakeMyMonsterGrow grow]] them into pawns - full-sized, animate versions of themselves that will follow his orders. And they can be anything from dolls, to toy cars, to toy ''tanks''. For an added bonus, he plays tabletop games as a hobby and thus carries a ''lot'' of models around with him.

* MuggingTheMonster: A trio of Merchants find themselves on the wrong end of this trope. Breaking into the home of Brushstroke, a known rogue with pacifist leanings is one thing. Breaking into the home of Chessman, a member of the Protectorate and known to [[TheMinionMaster keep literal armies in his sleeves]], is another...

* NobleDemon: Oni Lee may be an assassin - but he takes the safety and neutrality of the Pawprint Shrine ''very seriously'' and [[spoiler:saves Dinah Alcott when she is almost kidnapped]].

** A pair of twins come visit Pawprint Shrine, but are suddenly terrified by Sunshine dropping back in and [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere quickly take their leave]]. Perhaps the [[{{Kitsune}} fox-tails]] [[GlamourFailure on their rears]] had something to do with it.

** Assault's thought after he accidentally adopts a [[{{Kitsune}} Case 53 girl with fox ears and tail]] by means of giving her inarisushi is that Battery is going to murder him.

** Chapter 50 - [[spoiler: Kayden/Purity finally leaves Brockton Bay,]] and [[spoiler: Taylor finally gets some closure with Emma.]] Also, a pair of twins visit Taylor, and ask if they can tell 'a few friends' about the Shrine. Nothing special, [[spoiler: except for the fact that the girls are actually disguised {{Kitsune}}. Sunny's presence scares them off, but it seems like Taylor's {{Youkai}} troubles are just beginning...]]

* {{Kitsune}}: After more {{Youkai}} start showing up around Brockton Bay, several start hanging around the shrine. A couple try to get in with Taylor but are chased away by Sunny, and later, Assault gets waylaid by the same pair and even ends up adopting another one by means of [[TrademarkFavoriteFood inari sushi]].

* BaitAndSwitch: InUniverse, Carol is immediately suspicious when Amy demands that Chekov (the kitten) not be removed from his hiding place of an oven mit... only to relax when she realizes Amy just wants a picture of a kitten napping inside an oven mit.

* PrideBeforeAFall: Lung, when he walks into the shrine and attacks the parahuman {{Miko}} for apparently encroaching on ABB territory. But he soon finds he got the context wrong: the Miko was tasked to care for the shrine by the Kami that is her companion, and ''he'' just encroached on ''her'' territory. [[spoiler: [[BoltOfDivineRetribution And the Kami is]] ''[[BoltOfDivineRetribution not pleased]]''.

* WhatTheHellHero: Oni Lee vows to give his men a talking to for not warning him that the Alcotts, who he was going to see, were having New Wave over for dinner. All of them.

* CharacterWitness: Mr. Henrick, Taylor's older neighbor whom she often helps out, and as it turns out, the former school superintendent. When Taylor gets accused of siccing gang members on Emma, everyone, even Danny, seems to not believe her until Mr. Henrick barges in and stands up for her, telling them how much of a good girl she is and how she sometimes comes home crying. The case against Taylor falls apart after this.

** [[SerialEscalation And then Purity shows up as well.]]

Constellations can be read at [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/constellations-worm-okami.414320/ Space Battles]] and [[https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/constellations-worm-okami.31091/ Sufficient Velocity]] forums, as well as on [[http://archiveofourown.org/works/7754443/chapters/17682043 Ao3]].

!! This show provides examples of:

* AdaptationalBadass: In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', Danny Hebert was a vanilla human with a job at the Dockworkers Union. [[spoiler:Here, he is the Protectorate MinionMaster Chessman, on account of Queen Administrator having never jumped from him to Taylor.]]

--> '''Battery:''' I know a probable new Master in town is a big deal, but I'm kind of having trouble moving past the fact that Armsmaster has a canine nemesis.

* BrokeTheRatingScale: According to Clockblocker's PHO post, Taylor's threat rating includes "Shaker: Yes" and "Dog: Dog." Normally this might be put down to Clock being Clock, but in this case ''this is entirely plausible.''

* CallBack: The first time Emma encountered Taylor doing calligraphy, she dumped ink all over Taylor and then smashed her inkwell. Many scenes later, Taylor and Emma encounter each other again at Yuuta's house, after Emma has gone through a TraumaCongaLine that included [[spoiler: almost getting eaten by a jorogumo]] and being rescued by Yuuta, and Taylor, riding in on Sunny, wanting Baachan's help with her kimono, on her way to a meeting with the city's parahumans, not even acknowledging her. After Taylor leaves, Yuuta (who's taken up ofuda-making) points out some simple facts about Taylor, and then asks Emma to pass him his inkwell. Emma clearly remembers the first situation when she gently sets the inkwell on the table.

--> '''Oni Lee:''' My sister did not choose this, but others chose for her. [[spoiler: Dinah]] has not chosen this. Others have attempted to choose for her. I do not agree with their presumption; that is why I do this.

--> '''Lung:''' ''(paraphrased)'' And I'm paying debt to Ōkami, ''if it's the last thing you do!''

* DoubleTake: Battery, Lung and Purity all do this when they see Armsmaster with Sunny's head on his knee and petting her without even realising it. Assault even does a SpitTake.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Played for laughs here; when Sunny gets the idea to dunk Taylor in the shrine's ceremonial fountain, Taylor threatens the dog that if she does, she'll unplug Sunny's sake fridge. The next day, Taylor finds the entire shrine (and ''only'' the shrine) [[WeatherManipulation buried in snow]] and Sunny sitting next to a wine rack made of ice, at which point she just sighs and starts making her way over to the fountain.

** Coil starts out his plans to waylay Brushstroke and her interfering Good Dog thinking that she made a deal with Lung and the ABB for protection. But after [[spoiler: Lung breaks into his base at the Ōkami's behest]], he realises he got it the wrong way round; ''Lung'' is the one in debt to ''Brushstroke''.

---> '''Taylor:''' I would like you to start [[WalkingShirtlessScene wearing a shirt]].
---> '''Lung:''' ''[[SeriousBusiness Never.]]''

--->'''Kid Win''': [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater Snaaaaaaake Eaaaaateeeeer]]!\\
'''Sunny''': Woooooo~!\\
'''Coil''': What.

** For a Western equivalent, picture finding the original of Da Vinci's Last Supper on the wall of a neighborhood church after Rome has been destroyed.

--> ''You never do anything.''
--> '''Carol:''' No, I suppose I don't.

* OutsideContextProblem: Sunny, AKA Amaterasu. Her powers and abilities are from being a [[PhysicalGod goddess]], but everyone assumes (because of their experience with Capes) that Taylor and Sunny are a pair of capes named Brushstroke and Good Dog.

* NowYouTellMe: Oni Lee is tasked to deliver a message to Taylor that Lung is coming to the shrine in 30 minutes, and he delivers it... ''after'' himself, Lung, and ''three Protectorate Heroes'' have already sat down for tea.

* TheAlcoholic: PlayedForLaughs, anime style; Sunny has an enormous affinity for sake, to the point that she can effectively be threatened by unplugging her minifridge (at least until she summons a mini-snowstorm overnight, that only falls on temple grounds).
* AlwaysABiggerFish: After Emma enjoys her last bullying attempt on Taylor, her mirth is suddenly stymied by the fact that several ABB punks are now on her case. Lung also finds this out the hard way.

* AnxietyDreams: Carol Dallon has one after an argument with Victoria, involving finding a wall between her and her family.

* BetrayalInsurance: Victoria tries to set up some in the possible event that her mother finds out that Chekov was given to the family by Brushstroke (a cape with a Master rating) and gives the kitten away out of paranoia, so she publishes Chekov's picture online and into the public eye to forestall Carol's reaction. [[ArmorPiercingResponse Carol is stunned when she hears her daughter's rationale]].

*** [[spoiler: And just to drive the point home a little further - Lung was wearing his mask at the time. His metal mask. Which melted onto his face. Oni Lee had to cut it off him.]]
*** Another occasion is when Sunny goes after [[spoiler: Skidmark and the Merchants for attacking the Hebert household.]] Let's just say the sun that morning was less warming and more oppressive.

* BrokeTheRatingScale: According to Clockblocker's PHO post, Taylor's threat rating includes "Shaker: Yes" and "Dog: Dog." Normally this might be put down to Clock being Clock, but in this case ''this is entirely possible.''
* ButNowIMustGo: After Kayden agrees to turning herself into the Protectorate in exchange for safety for her children, she asks to say goodbye to Taylor and Sunshine before she is escorted to another city.

** Throughout the story, characters have given Taylor and Sunny a gift of a handful of beads, some jewelry or the like, which she has placed in a partitioned box with segments corresponding to the 13 zodiac animals. Time will tell what significance this will play.
** Earlier in the story, Danny is given a beautifully painted chimera model by Taylor. [[spoiler:When Merchants attack his house, he [[MakeMyMonsterGrow grows it to full size]] with his power and uses it to fend them off.]]

** And that's not taking into account the [[spoiler: [[BoltOfDivineRetribution deadly accurate lightning strikes]]]] or the sunlight becoming harsher at certain occasions.

* FriendshipTrinket: As Taylor interacts with people around Brockton Bay and slowly helps them change and improve, a turning point in their relationship is marked by them giving Taylor and Sunny a gift of a handful of beads, some jewelry or the like, which she then places in a partitioned box with segments corresponding to the 13 EasternZodiac animals.

** For a Western equivalent, picture finding the original of Da Vinci's Last Supper on the wall of a neighborhood church after Rome gets destroyed.

* NoodleIncident: According to WordOfGod, Chessman is [[ExactWords no longer]] allowed to field Ork armies.

** Miss Militia has one when Assault sends her a picture of [[spoiler: Lung wearing an Armsmaster speedo in the hot springs]] and says that it's probably on the internet somewhere. The next time she's seen, she has practically shut down the base's internet and is shouting at Armsmaster not to open his email. The following is some of her panicked [=IMs=] to Assault, who notified her of it:

** When Sunny takes Taylor on a five-minute, hi-speed wolf-back ride to the Protectorate Rig, Taylor is indignant that she could do this and yet makes Taylor ride her bike everywhere. Then Sunny [[WalkOnWater runs across the bay]] and [[WallRun up the side of the rig]] to the meeting platform.

** Lung finds that Oni Lee has managed to defy him in one way- the tea ceremony that Taylor was taught for this particular occasion will [[SeizaSquirm force him to be in the seiza position]] for ''four hours,'' demonstrating his displeasure with his boss' former lack of any politeness. [[TheStoic That, or Oni Lee genuinely didn't see a problem with this as he has frankly inhuman levels of patience.]] Lung's not sure which.

** After Halloweeen, the rest of the Protectorate are irate and angry from having to deal with {{Youkai}} shenanigans all night long. Velocity strolls up to their table, announces that he had a lot of fun the night before (essentially playing chaperone to the Wards attending the Pawprint Shrine party, met some nice people, and may either have a girlfriend or is engaged to be married (he's not sure which)). When he leaves, the rest of the team starts plotting to throw him into Master/Stranger confinement.
* RealityWarper: Sunny herself. Considering she is [[AngelUnaware Amaterasu in the form of a wolf]], this comes with the territory. The PRT eventually give up and just label her "Shaker: Yes".

* SacredHospitality: When two capes of the ABB, three capes of the Protectorate, and one cape of the E88 are in unexpected attendance in a TruceZone shrine, Taylor really hopes they respect this.

* TraumaCongaLine: Things really haven't been going Emma's way at all. She was mugged, almost killed, latched on to her rescuer Sophia as her new friend, abandoned and turned on her old friend Taylor to prove her strength, had her bullying confronted by the ABB, [[spoiler: suddenly had Sophia removed when her CharacterWitness came under scrutiny]], tried to find a new friend in Karen, [[spoiler: only to find out that Karen was a [[TsuchigumoAndJorogumo Jorogumo]] wanting to eat her]]. [[spoiler: Yuuta befriending her after rescuing her from said Jorogumo]] and not abandoning her was the first good thing that's happened to her for a while, and it's taking some time for her to rearrange her thoughts.

** Chapter 39 - [[spoiler: a group of Merchant thugs break into the Hebert household, looking for Taylor/Brushstroke. A PapaWolf - induced CurbStompBattle ensues, after which Taylor finally finds out her father is Chessman.]]

* GrailInTheGarbage: In preparation for her tea ceremony with Lung, Sunny gets Taylor a wall hanging for the shrine, an old painting named ''[[https://images.app.goo.gl/1JeUAY2iHY2N38oa6 Zhou Maoshu Appreciating Lotuses]]''. Considering this is a Japanese national treasure that was stored in the Kyushu National Museum, and exactly what happened to said island, Lung and the baachans have every right to be shocked when they see it right before their eyes.

* ApronMatron: The "Baachans", and their willingness to make sure Taylor knows everything about being a local Miko.

* CallBack: The first time Emma encountered Taylor doing calligraphy, she dumped ink all over Taylor and then smashed her inkwell. Many scenes later, Taylor and Emma encounter each other again at Yuuta's house, after Emma has gone through a TraumaCongaLine that included [[spoiler: almost getting eaten by a jorogumo]] and being rescued by Yuuta, and Taylor, riding in on Sunny, wanting baachan's help with her kimono, on her way to a meeting with the city's parahumans, not even acknowledging her. After Taylor leaves, Yuuta (who's taken up ofuda-making) points out some simple facts about Taylor, and then asks Emma to pass him his inkwell. Emma clearly remembers the first situation before she sets the inkwell on the table.
* CannotSpitItOut: Danny and Taylor's relationship is strained to the point that Danny cannot even ask an open-ended question about her. Even after [[spoiler: outing himself as Chessman to her]], his first question is if she got all her homework done. Things do seem to be improving a little after that incident though.

** Alan Barnes ''tries'' to be one for Shadow Stalker. Unfortunately for him and Shadow Stalker, [[spoiler: Danny Hebert, in this story a cape named Chessman, finds out about this less than an hour after the above encounter with Henrick and how Alan accused Taylor of gang membership and drug use until Henrick shut him up. Sophia Hess isn't heard from again, implying that Chessman pointed this out to Piggot and had the Character Witness revoked.]]

** Earlier in the story, Danny is given a beautifully painted chimera model by Taylor. [[spoiler:When Merchants attack his house, he grows it to full size with his power and uses it to fend them off.]]

*** Nezumi, the rat: Oni Lee, in thanks for the Kami helping restore his damaged psyche.
*** Ondori, the rooster: Mrs. Martha Henrick, Taylor's neighbour, both in repayment for Taylor helping out in her garden, and also encouraging her husband George to resume his involvement in the schooling system.
*** Inoshishi, the boar: Baachan, Yuuta's grandmother, after watching the Asian community become revitalized around the restoration of Pawprint Shrine.
*** Saru, the monkey: Haru, Yuuta and Souta, as they each discover their paths in life away from the ABB (Souta becoming a mechanic's assistant, Haru joining the swim team, and Yuuta learning to draw and sell protective ofuda).
*** Ushi, the ox: Kayden, after she turns state's evidence for the Protectorate against the Empire and gets herself and her children out of Brockton Bay.
*** Uma, the horse: Emma, trying to make a clean break from Taylor, [[TakeBackYourGift gives back]] the earrings they exchanged when they were kids (technically making this an inversion of the trope).
*** Tora, the tiger: Lung, to get Sunny to stop hounding him.
*** Hitsuji, the sheep: Danny, after he and Taylor rebuild their relationship, he helps renovate the [[spoiler: hot spring]] that she now owns, and they share their family recipe for meatloaf.

* INeedAFreakingDrink: The reaction of everyone [[spoiler:when they find out that clearing out the E88 to get Lung to buy up the land containing the land and the surrounding properties and gift it all to Taylor was all so that Sunny... could dig up a hot spring on the property.]]

* NotSoAboveItAll: Director Piggot is usually seen as a rather abrasive individual who is highly work-focused and unlikely to engage overmuch with her colleagues, given their dislike for her. All the same, she has apparently been taking part in bets over a shipping pool involving, at the least, Armsmaster and Dragon; potentially Chessman as well, since he was one of the subjects of the conversation she and Dragon were having at the time, and even takes part in regular [[HeroesGoneFishing D&D tabletop sessions]] with them.

* OneDegreeOfSeparation: Haru, one of the ABB gang members that ends up helping Taylor fix up the shrine, has a cousin that turns out to be [[spoiler: Bakuda]].[[note]]Or rather, the nerved-up college student that would have become [[spoiler: Bakuda]] if not for certain parties' intervention...[[/note]]

* SecurityCling: Yuuta wants to call his grandma after a harrowing experience, but finds it difficult because Emma, the girl he just saved from [[spoiler: a jorogumo]], won't let go of his arm.

* RealityEnsues:
** Taylor's actions help to revitalize the community, from planting flowers to painting walls, and help bring the Asian community together without needing to beat up people. Because of the improvements, property values increase, new businesses come into the area, and even the [=ABB=] start to get less hostile and become less out-and-out horrible. While this is in part due to a magical god-wolf smoothing things out for Taylor, the mundane parts of this are how real-life urban renewal works.
** Taylor doesn't bother with a SecretIdentity and casually gives her name when asked. Skidmark ends up sending grunts after her to kidnap the apparently new cape.

*** Nezumi, the rat: Oni Lee.
*** Ondori, the rooster: Mrs. Henrick, Taylor's neighbour.
*** Inoshishi, the boar: Baachan, Yuuta's grandmother.
*** Saru, the monkey: Haru, Yuuta and Souta.
*** Ushi, the ox: Kayden.
*** Uma, the horse: Emma.
*** Tora, the tiger: Lung.
*** Hitsuji, the sheep: Danny.

* NotSoAboveItAll: Director Piggot is usually seen as a rather abrasive individual who is highly work-focused and unlikely to engage overmuch with her colleagues, given their dislike for her. All the same, she has apparently been taking part in bets over a shipping pool involving, at the least, Armsmaster and Dragon; potentially Chessman as well, since he was one of the subjects of the conversation she and Dragon were having at the time.

** When the {{Workaholic}} Armsmaster finds himself trying to mess up Brushstroke's development plans for no reason other than sheer pettiness, [[HeelRealization he is so unnerved by that thought]] that he takes a sick day.

* ProperlyParanoid: When she hears about all the evil spirits that come out around Halloween, Sunny panics and "encourages" Taylor to place protectional ofuda everywhere around the shrine, even on the backs of advertising posters for shrine parties. [[spoiler: The next thing we know, we see a jorogumo (spider {{Youkai}}) get exorcised by some.]]

** Lung demands to meet with the {{Miko}} (whom everyone suspects is a cape) of the newly-restored shrine in his territory in a tea ceremony. Taylor prepares a formal ceremony, has Lung sit in seiza for ''four hours'' and then demands two sidewalks from Lung as recompense for his rudeness and deliberate disregard for the tradition of the ceremony. With [[BewareTheNiceOnes Sunny]] sternly watching him, Lung agrees.

** The way Taylor interacts with several people throughout Brockton Bay takes some cues from Social Links in the ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' games, in that each acquaintance corresponds to a fortune-telling symbol (in this case the EasternZodiac instead of Tarot), and that the interaction and CharacterDevelopment between both Taylor and her acquaintance eventually culminates in them giving Taylor a gift.

* ApronMatron: The "Baachans", and their willingness to make sure Taylor knows everything about being local Miko.

* GoneHorriblyRight: When [[EnsembleDarkhorse Yuuta]] notices someone taking down Taylor's flyers, he assumes it's anti-ABB sentiment and sets out to find the perpetrators and stop them. [[spoiler: It turns out to be a [[{{Youkai}} Jorogumo]] that tricked Emma into helping her because the flyers had a ProtectiveCharm on the back.]] Yuuta winds [[spoiler: saving Emma]] and [[spoiler: killing the [[SpiderPeople Jorogumo]]]] and then puts up Taylor's charms all over ABB Territory and the Shrine area after the encounter. His grandmother now wants to [[spoiler: set him up with [[AlphaBitch Emma]]]] and Oni Lee has officially made him [[spoiler: responsible for protecting ABB territory from further Youkai attacks.]] [[KnightTemplarBigBrother Oni Lee]] also threatened Yuuta with death if he does a bad job or [[spoiler: fails to compensate Taylor properly for her [[ProtectiveCharm talismans]].]]

** For a Western equivalent, picture finding the original of Da Vinci's Last Supper on the wall of a neighborhood church - after Rome gets destroyed.

* INeedAFreakingDrink: The reaction of everyone [[spoiler: when they find out that clearing out the E88 to get Lung to buy up the land containing the land and the surrounding properties and gift it all to Taylor was all so that Sunny... could dig up a hot spring on the property.]]

* TheManBehindTheMan: Sophia was this for Emma. With her reinforcing the "Hunter-Prey" line, and providing backup in the form of physical strength and numbers, Emma was able to bully Taylor with relatively little stopping her. Once Sophia is caught in her Shadow Stalker outfit, things rapidly go downhill for her. While some of this can be laid at the hands of Taylor getting a character witness and the ABB closing ranks around "Miko," Emma notably worsens once Sophia is permanently out of the picture, undergoing a minor mental breakdown.

* NotHelpingYourCase: When denying Sunny is her projection, Taylor admits she first met the wolf when she was eight years old and lost in a quickly darkening forest. As Assault gently points, [[PrimalFear such a situation]] [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening would be extremely scary for a young girl]].

** After Purity makes her leave from Brockton Bay, a throwaway line in the next chapter mentions the Protectorate arresting the last few capes the Empire has left, eliminating the gang as a threat to the city.

** Chapter 24 has one such moment for Lung. After Sunny [[spoiler:more or less dismantles the [=E88=]]], he tries to think of a way to weasel out of his deal with Taylor and Sunny until he realizes Taylor's technically a miko and the shrine is built in honor of a god. He asks Lee specifically ''which'' god the shrine was built in worship for. The moment he learns its '''Amaterasu''', Lung knows there's not a chance in hell he'll be able to skimp out.

*** There's also mention of [[spoiler:Sophia Hess/Shadow Stalker being arrested and potentially joining the Wards. Velocity mentions that Alan Barnes vouched for her personally while talking to Chessman... who had just gotten out of the above-mentioned meeting.]] While we don't see the aftermath, [[spoiler: Sophia never appears after this chapter...]]

* ABoyAndHisX: A girl and her doG.
** Or, more accurately, A doG and her Miko.

* FlatWhat: A frequent occurrence for the PRT when Good Dog is on the loose, ranging from finding a nose-print obscuring a camera at the top of a telephone pole to Good Dog stealing a local heroine's bike and going for a ride. [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments While drunk.]]

* TheGadfly: Sunny. Why yes, Sunny, staying out of trouble most certainly means [[RefugeInAudacity hijacking the local superheroes' vehicles and having them catch a Nazi in the process]]. [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Twice]].

What do you get when you mix a grimdark superhero universe (''{{Literature/Worm}}'') with Derp doG (''{{VideoGame/Okami}}'')? According to author Unwelcome Storm, it's a hilarious romp through Brockton Bay with Taylor and her childhood friend, [[PhysicalGod Sunshine]] the [[HiddenInPlainSight dog]] as they negotiate with gang leader and actually-a-dragon Lung, [[AllLovingHero help revitalize the local Asian community]] and [[TheGadfly drive the local superheroes insane]].

* TheAlcoholic: PlayedForLaughs, anime style; Sunny has an enormous affinity for sake, to the point that she can effectively be threatened by unplugging her minifridge (which just makes her summon a mini-snowstorm overnight, that only fall on temple grounds).

* AnimalNemesis: PlayedForLaughs; after Armsmaster is stymied by Sunny/Good Dog, he gains a rather noticeable fixation on trying to figure out exactly what she is, aside from being a potential master projection. His teammates are quite bemused by the idea.

* AnxietyDreams: Carol Dallon has one after an argument with Victoria, involving a glass wall coming down between her and her family.

** When Carol demands to know why Victoria not only did not inform her that their new kitten Chekov was given to them by the Master cape Brushstroke, but put him into the public eye, Victoria answers that she didn't want her mother to give Chekov away out of paranoia, leaving Carol speechless.

** Amaterasu/Sunny is incredibly friendly and affectionate, but when [[PrideBeforeAFall Lung backhands Taylor]], Amaterasu responds by [[spoiler: smiting him with a literal BoltOfDivineRetribution ...from clear skies.]]

*** Another occasion is when Sunny goes after [[spoiler: Skidmark and the Merchants for attacking the Hebert household]] Let's just say the sun that morning was less warming and more oppressive.

*** Ondori, the rooster: Mrs. Henrick, her neighbour.

** Earlier in the story, Danny is given a beautifully painted chimera model by Taylor. When Merchants attack his house, he grows it to full size with his power and uses it to fend them off.

* CuteKitten: Taylor finds a boxful of free kittens and ends up giving one to the Dallons. They name it Chekov, and he soon becomes a very influential part of the family. Amy Dallon, AKA Panacea, also has a new hobby: taking pictures of Chekov doing adorable things, such as sleeping on an oven mitt inside a drawer or trying to fight the RodentsOfUnusualSize through the TV while watching ''Princess Bride.''

* DoubleTake: Battery, Lung and Purity all do this when they see Armsmaster having Sunny's head on his knee and petting her without even realising it. Assault even does a SpitTake.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Played for laughs here; when Sunny gets the idea to dunk Taylor in the shrine's ceremonial fountain, Taylor threatens the dog that if she does, she'll unplug Sunny's sake fridge. The next day, Taylor finds the entire shrine (and only the shrine) [[WeatherManipulation buried in snow]], and Sunny sitting next to a wine rack made of ice.

** Coil starts out his plans to waylay Brushstroke and her interfering Good Dog thinking that she made a deal with Lung and the ABB for protection. But after [[spoiler: Lung breaks into his base at the Ōkami's behest]], he realises he got it the wrong way round; ''Lung'' is the one in debt with Brushstroke.

** And later, in accordance to [[{{Troll}} messing with the Protectorate without actively antagonizing them]], he commissions [[spoiler: an ''Armsmaster speedo'']] to wear to the hot springs.

* ExplainExplainOhCrap: Chessman, while remembering the evidence provided as to why Taylor is a good girl, suddenly realizes that her walking her dog is unusual because ''he doesn't own a dog.''
* ExtendedDisarming: Oni Lee has to go through this when [[spoiler: Mrs. Alcott]] finally agrees to invite him for dinner. Final count is several grenades, several knives and one shortsword.
* FaceFault: Sunshine does one when, even after [[spoiler: confronting three Merchant home invaders, generating his portable army, blowing up the wall of his house, and outing himself as the hero Chessman in front of Taylor]], all Danny can say to his daughter is ask if she's done her homework.

* FlatWhat: A frequent occurrence for the PRT when Good Dog is on the loose, ranging from getting a nose-print onto a camera at the top of a telephone pole to stealing a local heroine's bike and going for a ride. [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments While drunk.]]
** Coil himself has nothing but this to say [[https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/posts/6999849/ after]] Good Dog sneaks up on Aegis and Kid Win [[VideoGame/MetalGear under a cardboard box]], cons Kid Win into a ride on his hoverboard, then beats the crap out of a bunch of E88 goons with [=CQC=]. Especially when Kid Win lampshades the whole thing while riding with Sunny.

** How Myrddin gets from Chicago to Brockton Bay for his bimonthly tabletop gaming session and back in any appreciable time: he pays for [[TeleportersAndTransporters Strider's]] dinner and a movie nearby, Strider gives him a lift.

* FromBadToWorse: From Taylor's perspective. Having both Oni Lee and Assault, Battery and Armsmaster present in the shrine (and praying things don't turn bloody) was bad enough, but then Lung showed up. And then Purity came for a visit as well. Taylor had to ask Purity if Skidmark was anywhere in the vicinity.

* GracefulInTheirElement: Maybe not "graceful" per se, but the slightly chubby Haru, who's a swimmer, somewhat counts. More precisely, he may not have the speed for the speed trials, but he does have the stamina for the distance trials.

** Armsmaster is hit with a realization when he finds himself demanding to see permits to do construction work on a shrine from ''a dog'', for no reason than to throw a wrench in Brushstroke's plans. He's so off-balance by that thought that he returns to base and [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness takes a sick day]], and when Dragon checks in on him, he asks her if he's an asshole.

* HeroesGoneFishing: Chessman, Dragon, Director Piggot and even the Chicago Protectorate cape Myrddin have a D&D tabletop group. And Dragon ropes Armsmaster into joining.
* HeroicBuild: Defied with Chessman [[spoiler:a.k.a. Danny Hebert]], who looks tall and thin as a rail. [[spoiler:When Danny reveals his identity, he points out that the Protectorate's penchant for this portrayal is not a good idea, and he is soon proven right as support for the Protectorate grows in the aftermath.]]

** Let's just say the E88 capes have a ''very bad time'' when Sunshine gets on their case.

*** Victor: [[LaserGuidedKarma While trying to snipe a troublemaking Miko]], he gets [[UrineTrouble pissed on by Sunny]] (who somehow got to his rooftop perch without him noticing), pantsed, blown off the roof (which he barely holds on to), and finally nudged off by Sunny right into the arms of a PRT patrol.

** When Sunshine decides to go after [[spoiler: Coil, the snake villain finds his escape plans and multiple timelines cut off one by one,]] until his only possible future is being arrested by the cops for speeding.

* {{Kitsune}}: After more {{Youkai}} start showing up around Brockton Bay, several start hanging around the shrine. A couple try to get in with Taylor but are chased away by Sunny, and later, Assault gets waylaid by the same pair and even ends up adopting one by means of [[TrademarkFavoriteFood inari sushi]].

* LighterAndSofter: Than canon Worm. It's a world where Taylor is an unknowing Shrine Maiden in training for a trolling Wolf God of the Sun, and is attempting to revitalize the city through urban renewal rather than fisticuffs with random jerks on the street.
* TheManBehindTheMan: Sophia was this for Emma. With her reinforcing the "Hunter-Prey" line, and providing backup in the form of physical strength and numbers, Emma was able to bully Taylor with relatively little stopping her. Once Sophia is caught in her Shadow Stalker outfit, things rapidly go downhill for her. While some of this can be laid at the hands of Taylor getting a character witness and the ABB closing ranks around "Miko," she notably worsens once Sophia is permanently out of the picture, undergoing a minor mental breakdown.
* {{Miko}}: Between her red and white outfit and the shrine that she's clearing up, this is what everyone thinks Taylor is. And considering who is her companion, they're not exactly wrong. As the story goes on she's been slowly accepting this role.
* TheMinionMaster: Chessman's (Danny Hebert's) power. He can imbue little toys or figurines with his power and [[MakeMyMonsterGrow grow]] them into pawns - full-sized, animate versions of themselves that will follow his orders. And they can be anything from dolls, to toy cars, to toy ''tanks''. For an added bonus, he plays tabletop games as a hobby, and thus carries a ''lot'' of models around with him.

* MuggingTheMonster: A trio of Merchants find themselves on the wrong end of this trope. Breaking into the home of Brushstroke, a known rogue with pacifist leanings is one thing. Breaking into the home of Chessman, a member of the Protectorate and known to [[TheMinionMaster keep literal armies in his sleevies]], is another...

** One Word Of God from Wildbow stated that Taylor triggered with the Administrator Shard because her father wasn't suitable for it, but he was earmarked to be the one who triggered. Here he actually did.
** As Taylor sets up the new onsen around the shrine, she starts noticing more than a few sparrows hanging around. In VideoGame/{{Okami}}, an organization of sparrows manage a hidden hot spring.

* NotAMorningPerson: The whole Brockton Bay Protectorate turns into this the morning after an exceptionally bizarre Halloween. Except Armsmaster and Velocity, much to the others' displeasure.

** [[TheMinionMaster Chessman]] (Danny) and his debut on the cape scene, detailed [[AllThereInTheManual in a separate post]]: In retaliation for an attack on the Docks by the E88, [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge he crashed an E88 rally]] with ''[[TankGoodness three fully-grown Sherman Tanks]]''.

*** When [[spoiler: he sees [[ImplacableMan Good Dog chasing him on the interstate]]. In multiple timelines]].

** Miss Militia has one when Assault sends her a picture of [[spoiler: Lung wearing an Armsmaster speedo in the hot springs]] and says that it's probably on the internet somewhere. The next time she's seen, she has practically shut down the base's internet and shouting at Armsmaster not to open his email. The following is some of her panicked [=IMs=] to Assault, who notified her of it:

** While Armsmaster is negotiating with Piggot for some actual time off, Piggot suggests that [[TheRival Dauntless]] get put in charge while he's away. [[GreenEyedMonster Armsmaster]] initially balks at the idea until he thinks of "inexperienced, naive, totally unprepared Dauntless" being in charge of the weird-hole that Brockton Bay has become, and agrees that that's a great idea.
* OpenMouthInsertFoot: At the conclusion that Taylor is a Master with a projection who triggered several years ago and never even knew it, Assault agrees that she ''is'' Chessman's daughter. Danny breaks his nose.

*** Even Director Piggot gets put through some, when she makes the request that the capes under her command get more therapy, because it would make them happier. Though the hosing of her office with containment foam may have been a bit excessive.
** When the {{Workaholic}} Armsmaster finds himself trying to mess up Brushstroke's development plans for no reason other than sheer pettiness, he is so unnerved by that thought that he takes a sick day.
* OutsideContextProblem: Sunny, AKA Amaterasu. Her powers and abilities are from being a goddess, but everyone assumes that (because of their experience with Capes) that Taylor and her are a pair of capes named Brushstroke and Good Dog.

** An AllThereInTheManual example; Chessman's presence on the Brockton Bay cape scene is one of these, since it is well known that he can start animating and growing his pawns from a distance, and no-one knows how many pawns he has hiding around the city, just waiting to be [[MakeMyMonsterGrow empowered]]...

** [[spoiler: Unless Sunny WANTS them to notice the weirdness. Then people absolutely can see that there's a white wolf big enough to crush a man's head in her jaws walking around.]]
** It seems to be weaker if you're far enough away, or Sunny isn't paying attention, several members of the Protectorate point out that Sunny is ''way'' too big and clearly not a domestic breed of dog.

** Lung finds that Oni Lee has managed to defy him in one way- the tea ceremony that Taylor was taught for this particular occasion will [[SeizaSquirm force him to be in the seiza position]] for ''four hours,'' demonstrating his displeasure with his boss' former lack of any politeness. [[TheStoic Or Oni Lee genuinely didn't see a problem with this as he has frankly inhuman levels of patience.]] Lung's not sure which.

** When a bunch of Merchants break into the Hebert household to look for Taylor, Danny a.k.a. TheMinionMaster cape Chessman, has one order to give:

* PrideBeforeAFall: Lung, when he walks into the shrine and attacks the parahuman shrine {{Miko}} for apparently encroaching on ABB territory. But he soon finds he got the context wrong: the shrine is the Miko's territory, tasked by the Kami that is her companion, and ''he'' just encroached on ''her'' territory. [[spoiler: [[BoltOfDivineRetribution And the Kami is not pleased]]]].

* RageBreakingPoint: Piggot has a generally terrible day and then a hysterical Chessman calls her to tell her he doesn't have a dog. While in context Chessman is right to worry, he phrases his concerns so badly Piggot immediately has him thrown in the Master-Stranger protocol holding tank.
** After Halloweeen, the rest of the Protectorate are irate and angry from having to deal with Yokai shenanigans all night long. Velocity strolls up to their table, announces that he had a lot of fun the night before (essentially playing chaperone to the Wards attending the Pawprint Shrine party, met some nice people, and may either have a girlfriend or is engaged to be married (he's not sure which)). When he leaves, the rest of the team starts plotting to throw him into Master/Stranger confinement.

** Taylor doesn't bother with a SecretIdentity and casually gives her name when asked. Skidmark ends up by sending grunts after her to kidnap the apparently new cape.

** Normally, walking uninvited into [[TruceZone Somer's Rock]] in the middle of a Brockton Bay villain meeting would be a bad idea for anyone not a villain, but when you're Brushstroke, dressed in a kimono, riding in on a great white wolf, and stating that you were invited, especially after said white wolf subjugated, crippled and ''dismantled'' the top three gangs in the city, there really isn't a way for the villains to kick you out.
*** This even applies to villain hideouts. When Grue finds Brushstroke at the doorstep of the Undersiders' secret base, apparently having been dropped off there by Good Dog for no apparent reason, he decides to welcome her in rather than risk the divine wrath of her companion.

* SacredHospitality: When two capes of the ABB, three capes of the Protectorate and one cape of the E88 are in unexpected attendance in a TruceZone shrine, Taylor really hopes they respect this.
** "Tea time is courtesy time". This is basically Taylor's SurvivalMantra, which she uses whenever someone visits the shrine.

** One of the two reasons Taylor says she can't join the Protectorate or the Wards; since doing so would mean that the neutrality of the Shrine could be compromised (the other being that she's not a parahuman).

* SheCleansUpNicely: Yuuta and his friends remember Taylor being a bit of a butterface when they initially remember her from Winslow, but after Taylor comes out in a kimono after asking Yuuta's grandmother for help, Yuuta concludes that the clothes really do make the man, or in this case, miko.
* ShoutOut:

*** This is made funnier because Coil's watching, a cape with a snake motif, how Kid Win sings "Snake Eater".

** Chapter 24 has one such moment for Lung. After Sunny [[spoiler:more or less dismantles the [=E88=]]], he tries to think of a way to weasel out of his deal with Taylor and Sunny until he realizes Taylor's technically a miko and the shrine is built in honor of a god. He asks Lee specifically ''which'' god the shrine was built in worship for. The moment he learns its '''Amaterasu''' Lung knows there's not a chance in hell he'll be able to skimp out.
** Played for laughs when Colin a.k.a. Armsmaster joins his colleagues' tabletop gaming group, and the game master Danny recognises his gamer personality type:

** Haru is an ABB kid that likes to swim, despite his normally chubby appearance. After Taylor gives him a good-luck charm, he attends the swim trials, the coach notices his stamina, and he makes the swim team for the distance trials.
** Yuuta's family once owned a bakery in Kyushu, but lost it after Leviathan and they moved to Brockton Bay. After some work fixing up the shrine and its surrounding properties, Taylor leases an old kitchen to Yuuta's father, allowing him to open up their bakery again.

* TraumaCongaLine: Things really haven't been going Emma's way at all. She was mugged, almost killed, latched on to her rescuer Sophia as her new friend, abandoned and turned on her old friend Taylor to prove her strength, had her bullying confronted by the ABB, [[spoiler: suddenly had Sophia removed when her CharacterWitness came under scrutiny]], tried to find a new friend in Karen, [[spoiler: only to find out that Karen was a [[TsuchigumoAndJorogumo Jorogumo]] wanting to eat her]]. [[spoiler: Yuuta befriending her after rescuing her from said Jorogumo]] and not abandoning her was the first good thing that happened to her for a while, and it's taking some time for her to rearrange her thoughts.

* TsuchigumoAndJorogumo: A jorougumo shows up, manipulating and trying to eat [[spoiler: Emma Barnes]], and is promptly exorcised by some ofuda that Sunny/Amaterasu had had Taylor make in the lead-up to Halloween.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: Justified as SeriousBusiness in Lung's mind in that his bare chest is an icon of his strength and disregard for propriety, as he is the dragon, and covering up for any reason would be a sign of weakness, of retreat. Taylor/Brushstroke/Miko takes offense to this.

** Chapter 35 has [[spoiler: Purity asks Taylor to set up a meeting with Battery at Pawprint Shrine.]] It's not until Chapter 38 that we find out why - [[spoiler: Purity wants to get out of Brockton Bay, and she's willing to turn information on the Empire to do so.]]

* AdaptationalBadass: In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', Danny Hebert was a vanilla human with a job at the Dockworkers Union. [[spoiler:Here, he is the Protectorate MinionMaster Chessman.]]

* WhamEpisode: Chapter 1 ends with the implication that [[spoiler:Taylor's father Danny just had a [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening Trigger]] event.]]

* WhamLine: As early as chapter 2: "Amaterasu smiled."

* OneDegreeOfSeparation: Haru, one of the ABB gang members that ends up helping Taylor fix up the shrine, has a cousin that turns out to be [[spoiler: Bakuda]].

* {{Kitsune}}: After more {{Youkai}} start showing up around Brockton Bay, several start hanging around the shrine. A couple try to get in with Taylor but are chased away by Sunny, and later, Assault gets waylaid by a couple more and even ends up adopting one by means of [[TrademarkFavoriteFood inari sushi]].

* HeelRealization: Armsmaster is hit with a realization when he finds himself demanding to see permits to do construction work on a shrine from ''a dog'', for no reason than to throw a wrench in Brushstroke's plans. He's so off-balance by that thought that he returns to base and [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness takes a sick day]], and when Dragon checks in on him, he asks her if he's an asshole.

* LetMeGetThisStraight: Taylor makes the following statement after some of Sunshine's antics prove to have a very clear motive.
--> '''Taylor:''' Sunny, did you ''wipe out the Empire'', dig a ''hundred miles'' or so of tunnels, and then ''manipulate Lung'' into buying up the street… [[spoiler: ''[[SuddenlyShouting SO YOU COULD OWN A HOT SPRING?!]]'']]
--> '''Sunny:''' ''[[BluntYes Mmmmmbark]].''

* NobleDemon: Oni Lee may be an assassin - but he takes the safety and neutrality of the Pawprint Shrine ''very seriously'' and [[spoiler:saves Dinah Alcott when she is almost kidnapped.]]

* RealityWarper: Sunny herself. Considering she is Amaterasu in the form of a wolf, this comes with the territory. The PRT eventually give up and just label her "Shaker: Yes".

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Played for laughs when Colin a.k.a. Armsmaster joins his colleagues' tabletop gaming group, and the game master Danny recognises his gamer personality type:
--> '''Danny:''' He is going to [[MinMaxing min/max]] this to hell and back, isn’t he.
--> '''Dragon:''' Godspeed, Dungeon Master. We appreciate your sacrifice, you poor, doomed bastard.

* BadDreams: Carol Dallon has one after an argument with Victoria, involving a glass wall coming down between her and her family.

* ArmorPiercingResponse: Oni Lee to Lung - "I saw a shrine maiden." It has less to do with the response itself and more to do with the fact that Oni Lee [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness actually interrupted him.]]

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Amaterasu/Sunny is incredibly friendly and affectionate, but when [[PrideBeforeAFall Lung backhands Taylor]], Amaterasu responds by [[spoiler: smiting him with a literal BoltOfDivineRetribution ...from clear skies.]]
** [[spoiler: The skies were cloudy for the entire rest of the city before the strike, with only a small patch of clearer skies directly over the shrine for the meeting. Lung's only warning of the incoming bolt was [[ShadowOfImpendingDoom the briefest glimmer of a spark in the clear sky directly above the shrine]], before the lightning strike came down upon his head.]]
** [[spoiler: And just to drive the point home a little further - Lung was wearing his mask at the time. His metal mask. Which melted onto his face. Oni Lee had to cut it off him.]]
** [[spoiler: Another occasion is when Amaterasu goes after Skidmark and the Merchants for attacking the Hebert household]] Let's just say the sun that morning was less warming and more oppressive.

** Taylor initially doesn't want to play her mother's flute where her father can hear it, since she thinks that he doesn't deserve to hear it on account of how he tried to bury his wife's memory. Later, after they finally patch things up between them, Taylor thinks it would be nice to play the flute for him sometime.

* ImplacableMan: Coil finds himself on the wrong end of ''two'':
** Lung, [[spoiler: when the ABB leader breaks into his base for apparently violating the truce]].
** Good Dog, [[spoiler: when Coil sees her chasing after him on the interstate. And even splitting timelines just puts her [[StealthHiBye right in front of him]].]]
* ImNotAHeroIm: Taylor has to reaffirm to everyone that she isn't a cape, just a regular girl with a very weird dog. Very few people believe her.
* InstantlyProvenWrong: When Lung gifts the land properties for the shrine and the surrounding lots to Brushstroke, Purity comments that he got them cheap since his gang cratered the property values. [[spoiler: A moment later, Sunny digs up a hot spring on an adjacent lot (that Brushstroke now owns)]], and the property value of the land suddenly isn't so 'cratered' any more.

** As Taylor sets up the new onsen around the shrine, she starts noticing more than a few sparrows hanging around. In the VideoGame/{{Okami}}, an organization of sparrows manage a hidden hot spring.

** After Purity makes her leave from Brockton Bay, a throwaway line in the next chapter mentions the Protectorate arresting the last few capes the Empire has left, eliminating the gang as a threat.

*** When [[spoiler: he realizes that Lung and Tattletale are attacking him at the behest of Brushstroke, and what that means:]].

*** When [[spoiler: he sees [[ImplacableMan Good Dog chasing him on the interstate]]. In multiple timelines.]]

* PolitenessJudo: Oni Lee finds himself treated to this by Taylor: after she sits him down to tea, she brings up an uncomfortable subject knowing he'd not be able to excuse himself without being rude.

* PreAsskickingOneLiner: When a bunch of Merchants break into the Hebert household to look for Taylor, Danny a.k.a. TheMinionMaster cape Chessman, has one order to give:
--> '''Chessman:''' Queen to A7.

--> '''Oni Lee:''' “I will need to clean my tools again.”

* PsychologicalProjection: When Emma finally confronts Taylor at Pawprint Shrine at the end of a very long TraumaCongaLine, she makes a big speech about how she hates Taylor, that Taylor ruins everything she touches, is so needy, no-one actually likes her, is always clinging to the past, and that Taylor is the worst. The fact that Emma is sobbing throughout this whole ordeal makes it fairly evident that it isn't Taylor she's really talking about.

** The way Taylor interacts with several people throughout Brockton Bay takes some cues from Social Links in the ''Franchise/Persona'' games, in that as both Taylor and her new acquaintance interact and grow from each other, they eventually give Taylor a gift, and that each acquaintance corresponds to a fortune-telling symbol, in this case the EasternZodiac as opposed to Tarot.

* WalkingShirtlessScene: Justified in Lung's mind in that his bare chest is an icon of his strength and disregard for propriety, as he is the dragon, and covering up for any reason would be a sign of weakness, of retreat. Taylor/Brushstroke/Miko takes offense to this.

* AntiClimacticUnmasking: Oni Lee removes his mask while sitting down to dinner with [[spoiler: the Alcotts and New Wave]], because [[SacredHospitality it'd be rude to have it on]]. When one of the other guests asks about him being worried about his SecretIdentity, he finds it amusing because [[IdentityAmnesia even he doesn't know who he is]].

* CharacterDevelopment: After Taylor's summer project of fixing up the shrine attracts the terrible attention of Lung (even though [[spoiler: Sunny successfully chastises him]]), she tells Sunny that she doesn't want to be a hero and all she wants to do is hang out with her doggy friend. After [[spoiler: the Merchants invade her home and Sunny goes to teach them a lesson]], Taylor successfully negotiates with Oni Lee on her own and tells Sunny that it's not fair to let her do everything on her own and that she wants to help out with Cape business too.

* CrashIntoHello: On a visit to the Protectorate HQ, Sunny plays fetch with Taylor by throwing a toy Armsmaster halberd from the gift shop, and when Taylor tries to grab it, she runs right into the real Armsmaster right as he steps out of the elevator.

* EvilIsPetty: When Lung requests a meeting with the Miko, he has to engage in a full-on tea ceremony, which requires either hakama or a suit. Lung walks in with no shirt, takes pleasure in throwing off Taylor's rhythm for the ceremony, and is disrespectful despite being civil, [[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne which makes Taylor very annoyed and she demands recompense for the rudeness]].

* TheMinionMaster: Chessman's (Danny Hebert's) power. He can imbue little toys or figurines with his power and [[MakeMyMonsterGrow grow]] them into pawns - full-sized, animate versions of themselves that will follow his orders. And they can be anything from dolls, to toy cars, to toy ''tanks''.

* MythologyGag: One Word Of God from Wildbow stated that Taylor triggered with the Administrator Shard because her father wasn't suitable for it, but he was earmarked to be the one who triggered. Here he actually did.

** While Armsmaster is negotiating with Piggot for some actual time off, Piggot suggests that [[TheRival Dauntless]] get put in charge while he's away. [[GreenEyedMonster Armsmaster]] initially balks until he thinks of "inexperienced, naive, totally unprepared Dauntless" being in charge of the weird-hole that Brockton Bay has become, and agrees that that's a great idea.

*** Even Director Piggot gets put through some, when she makes the request that the capes under her command get more therapy, because it would make them happier.

* ProperlyParanoid: When she hears about all the evil spirits that come out around Halloween, Sunny panics and "encourages" Taylor to place protectional ofuda everywhere around the shrine, even on the backs of advertising posters for shrine parties. [[spoiler: The next thing we know, we see a spider demon get exorcised by some.]]

* RealityEnsues: Taylor's actions help to revitalize the community, from planting flowers to painting walls, and help bring the Asian community together without needing to beat up people. Because of the improvements, property values increase, new businesses come into the area, and even the [=ABB=] start to get less hostile and become less out-and-out horrible. While this is in part due to a magical god-wolf smoothing things out for Taylor, the mundane parts of this are how real-life urban renewal works.

* RealityWarper: Sunny herself. Considering she is Amaterasu in the form of a wolf, this comes with the territory.

** Chapter 35 has [[spoiler: Purity ask Taylor set up a meeting with Battery at Pawprint Shrine.]] It's not until Chapter 38 that we find out why - [[spoiler: Purity wants to get out of Brockton Bay, and she's willing to turn information on the Empire to do so.]]

** Chapter 50 - A pair of twins visit the Pawprint Shrine, and ask Taylor if they can tell 'a few friends' about it. Nothing special, [[spoiler: except for the fact that the girls are actually disguised {{Kitsune}}. Sunny's presence scares them off, but it seems like Taylor's {{Youkai}} troubles are just beginning...]]