Editing Taylor Hebert (section)

==Trivia == 
*[[Wildbow]]'s favourite line in Worm is "''This was it.  Finally, everyone was working together.''", mentioned by Taylor in [[Speck 30.4]], and which Wildbow considers the summation of her.<ref>'''Wildbow''': This is probably my favorite line as the author, but for different reasons. It's the summation of Taylor.<br><br>Her frustrations from start to finish, the distorted narrative, the personal struggles and the struggles she sees elsewhere, and her view that it's because people aren't on the same page. She straddles the line between good guy and bad and vainly tries and fails to bridge it, like someone standing on a bridge, holding ropes attached to anchors on either side, striving to tie the two ropes into a knot. It's reflected in the coordination of the bugs and her inability to properly coordinate everything else. She views her successes as successes only if they help bridge the gap and coordinate people, she doesn't see genuine victories as victories unless they hit that mark.<br><br>That final moment, where she's torn down friends because they were in her way, and she's finally gotten everyone on the same page, just so happens to be when she reaches her crescendo, ceases being Taylor and starts becoming the shard. - [https://www.reddit.com/r/Parahumans/comments/5rpvt1/_/dd9h073 Comment on Reddit]</ref>
*An underappreciated part of Worm is that, given its first-person perspective, the viewpoint character can shape readers' perceptions. As a character, Taylor lacks self-awareness and is not infallible to emotional biases, trying to fool herself, or more importantly, compartmentalizing. TV Tropes calls this an [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/UnreliableNarrator Unreliable Narrator].<ref>I've written more than one series with an unreliable narrator. One had a protagonist who lied to herself and self-justified well enough the audience got caught up in it. Some didn't quite 'get it' and took her at face value even as she did some reprehensible things, well past the series ending, or only 'got it' on a reread of the work. - Wildbow [https://redd.it/vqnxjs on Reddit]</ref><ref>Taylor, as a character, is painfully lacking in self awareness, and tends to compartmentalize and optimize. Throughout the story, as things are tense, she finds herself faced with situation after situation that sees her pursue her immediate needs and handling the immediate crises. - Wildbow [https://redd.it/rxmg4j on Reddit]</ref><ref name="IRC eEarlyTaylor"/>
*Taylor's bullying experiences can invoke near-universal life experiences; thus, many readers could read into the text elements in a way Wildbow did not intend.<ref><blockquote>6. Taylor is a minority victim</blockquote>
I believe I said she would be at risk of ''becoming'' or being ''read as'' a minority victim, not that she was already one. My apologies if I was unclear.
<blockquote>7. Her sexuality is central to her character and would be on prominent display at school.</blockquote>
Not necessarily.<br><br>At school, she's being targeted and victimized. She's already hiding a great deal of herself already (masking herself with certain clothing choices, eating in the bathroom stall), retreating from the world. Failing to mention that she's hiding her sexuality (which she would be, given Emma or Sophia would target or use against her) would seem like an odd choice, making it read more like the sexuality was tacked on & that I had no interest in the deeper ramifications of a GBLT character, beyond the 'lesbians are story bonus points' mentality. Reviews then call out the story on this. Readers take it as a cue and then take that cue to a conclusion.<br><br>''Mentioning it,'' conversely, would push things towards 'Worm is a story that starts with anti-gay bullying' in the public eye. I know you really ''want'' things to just be taken in stride, for it to be a non-factor, but that's not how it goes. - Wildbow [https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/12862094 on Spacebattles]</ref> For example, the author wrote Taylor as a cisgender heterosexual; however, many readers read Taylor as being some presentation of LGBTQA+.<ref>'''Sexual preferences''' - Taylor is not a lesbian. Or bi. I would have made more of it if she were, because that sort of thing is an automatic bump in readers, but it's too easy and too cheap. - [https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/12847980 Answering Questions?] ([[Wildbow]], spacebattles.com, 2014-01-14)</ref>
*Taylor likely triggered Monday the third of January 2011 as it was described as the first day of school in the new year.
*Clones of Taylor made by [[Echidna]] are called variously [[Chitter|Chitter or Scurry]], both words can relate to rats just like skitter, her villain name, can relate to insects. Scurry being the movement of rats while chitter is more of a vocalization, and not solely related to rats.
*"Khepri" is a god in ancient Egyptian religion connected with the scarab beetle, because the scarab rolls balls of dung across the ground, an act that the Egyptians saw as a symbol of the forces that move the sun across the sky.
*Taylor's surname, "Hebert," would most likely be pronounced "Ai-bear," as it is a French name. H is rarely pronounced in French, especially at the beginning of a word, and a final consonant is also rarely pronounced without a final "e" after it. However her surname is canonically stated to be pronounced "Hee-bert".<ref name="SB532"/>
* Taylor is fond of sweet and savory food, prefers tea over coffee and doesn't like anything spicy or sour.<ref>“It’s fine.  I’m not offended, I ''am'' a villain.  But I’m also a person under this mask.  Someone who prefers tea to coffee, who enjoys reading, who…”  I floundered.  “…likes sweet and savory foods but dislikes anything spicy or sour.  Point being, I’m someone who wants to make sure ''you'' get taken care of.  Especially if you’re among the people I’m protecting in the territory I’m claiming.  Go.  Find a bed.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/05/26/infestation-11-3/ Excerpt] from [[Infestation 11.3]]</ref> She likes her tea black<ref>“Details about you, your tastes and priorities.  Maybe I’ll have tea ready the next time we meet.  Black, green, herbal?”<br><br>“Black.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/06/01/drone-23-4/ Excerpt] from [[Drone 23.4]]</ref><ref name=":3">“Green?” he asked me.  “The others drink green.”<br><br>“Black.  With milk.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/10/08/venom-29-9/ Excerpt] from [[Venom 29.9]]</ref> with sweeteners,<ref>“I’m okay,” Skitter said, without looking up.  She removed her hands from her face and leaned back.  There was no sign of tears – her eyes were dry.  ''Just tired''.  “Could I bother you to make me a cup of tea?  Milk, drop of honey.”<br><br>Sierra nodded, “I remember.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/interlude-14/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 14.x]]</ref><ref name=":3" /> and particularly honey over sugar.<ref>I sipped on the tea.  My dad had made it with sugar, not honey. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/11/17/colony-15-10/ Excerpt] from [[Colony 15.10]]</ref>
*Taylor's blood type is AB.<ref>“Blood type?”<br><br>“AB.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/colony-15-7/ Excerpt] from [[Colony 15.7]]</ref>
<!--*Originally, it was considered that Taylor would die during the Leviathan fight, with Wildbow even writing death scene out. However, due to other factors he ultimately decided to keep her alive-->