Primal
is a Worm and Final Fantasy XIV crossover where Taylor gains the power of the various Primals.
Taylor Hebert is a girl with myriad problems. Foremongst amongst these being that circumstances have conspired to not grant her powers during her darkest moment in a certain locker. Bereft of an escape from real life or of distraction from her pain, she begins to give up hope.
But sometimes hope and power come from unlikely sources. Sources that may just have a reason for bestowing the might of Gods upon a mortal.
Tropes:
- Above Good and Evil: Fire, as Taylor muses, is a primal force of nature that is neither good or evil.
- Agony Beam: Bakuda's pain bombs make an appearance.
- Alternative Character Interpretation: In-universe, Piggot isn't entirely sure if Armsmaster really is that emotionally stunted, or if he's simply messing with everyone.
- Badass Boast: When fighting Glory Girl, Runes says that after what happened the PRT would never let Taylor be a hero. Taylor replies that she doesn't need them to let her be anything, and that no one lets you be a hero, it's just what you are.
- Black-and-White Morality: Piggot lampshades how this is how Glory Girl thinks/
- Boring, but Practical: Triumph's method of covering ground during patrols? His good pair of boots and athleticism, which can still match his fellow Protectorate members (with his sonic-manipulation abilities he can even mask the sounds he makes and surprise criminals). He still occasionally wishes for a Triumph-mobile though.
- Break the Haughty: Primal managing to hurt her despite her supposed invulnerability does this to Glory Girl, as Piggot lampshades.
- Closet Geek: Rune, of all people, Taylor even dropping the trope name in reference to her.
- Driven to Suicide: Taylor starts the story trying to work up the nerve to jump off of a roof to escape the bullying of the trio.
- Elemental Powers: Taylor's abilities are focused on different elements.
- Playing with Fire: Her first powerset.
- An Ice Person: Her second power.
- Blow You Away: A third powerset, hinted at from the pre-rewrite version and the green text.
- Emotional Powers / Psychoactive Powers: Taylor's powers draw from and are affected by her emotions, anger for her fire powers and calmness for her ice powers. Things that affect her emotions can also affect her powers, like Glory Girl's aura.
- Her wind powers seem to be drawn from hate.
- Evil Is Petty: Bakuda plans to plant her Agony Beam bombs in hospitals because Taylor bruised her ego.
- For Want Of A Nail: The major nail here is that Taylor didn't trigger in the locker at all.
- Heroic Second Wind: Taylor gets one when fighting Bakuda, awakening her wind powers.
- Hidden Depths: Rune is a fan of Tolkien.
- I Gave My Word: Taylor gave her word to Rune that she would leave their meeting unmolested, and if she has to fight Glory Girl to ensure that, she will.
- Involuntary Shapeshifting: Whenever Taylor taps into one of her powersets, she starts taking on the physical appearance of the primal associated with that element. With fire she starts growing horns, claws, and a tail, taking on a demon-like appearance, while ice covers her with icy armor and a crown.
- Just Toying with Them: Bakuda comes to this conclusion about Taylor/Primal after the latter's Heroic Second Wind.
- Meaningful Name: Before unlocking her ice powers, Taylor initially chooses her name because fire is a primal force Above Good and Evil, her apparent connection to the Final Fantasy Primals notwithstanding, and it's one of the few fire-related cape names not obviously villainous. It becomes, even more, fitting after her An Ice Person powers show up.
- My God, What Have I Done?: In the aftermath of Primal and Glory Girl's battle on the Boardwalk, Vicky realizes her emotion-manipulating aura may have been what set the fight off in the first place.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Glory Girl's refusal to listen when Primal explained that her meeting with Rune was under truce and the villain was free to leave so long as she didn't commit any crimes and inability to realize that Primal was having a bad reaction to her aura resulted in Primal's powers going off and a destructive battle across the Boardwalk.
- No-Sell: Taylor's powers are non-Manton-limited, and can somehow bypass Glory Girl's invulnerability field.
- Odd Friendship: One seems to be forming between Taylor and Cassie/Rune.
- Oh, Crap!: The reaction of Bakuda and her men when Taylor gets her Heroic Second Wind and unlocks her wind powers, especially since her new form is reminiscent of the Simurgh.
- Only Flesh Is Safe: Averted, Taylor's powers are non-Manton limited.
- Our Demons Are Different: Taylor originally went for a demon theme with her costume after getting her Playing with Fire powers, since tapping into them in any meaningful way caused her to start gaining demonic features.
- The Power of Hate: The implied source of her wind powers.
- Required Secondary Powers: Taylor is immune to fire and intense heat after gaining her Playing with Fire powers, and presumably gains similar resistance to cold and ice after gaining her ice powers.
- Shoot the Messenger: Taylor lampshades it when Bakuda tries.
- Slave to PR: Piggot lampshades how important it is to make sure that the Protectorate is seen as heroes.
- Splash of Color: Text associated with each Primal tends to show up when their powers are in play or close to it.
- Super-Empowering: When Taylor was on the roof, a voice claiming to be Hydaelyn spoke to her and apparently granted her the powers of the Primals.
- Super-Strength: Taylor's strength increases in her demonic form, and she's noticing that as time goes on she's becoming stronger in her normal form as well.
- Superpower Lottery: Taylor gets incredibly powerful Elemental Powers.
- Tempting Fate: Triumph dares to think that his patrol might be quiet. Cue Taylor sending a giant pillar of flame into the sky.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Lampshaded by Piggot about some villains.
