Be Careful Of What You Wish For...
*Vortex entered the study of their current residence, and observed Taylor pouring over a number of notes.*
Vortex: Taylor, dinner is almost ready. Put that down and come eat.
Taylor *distracted* : Just a second...
Vortex *sitting down beside her*: What are you working on, anyways? I haven't seen you all day.
Taylor: I'm trying to figure out how I could have a good life back home. So, I'm comparing some of the different variants of my history for ideas.
Vortex: Oh really?
Taylor: Yes, there are a large number of cases where just joining the Wards or staying away from the Undersiders would have worked out. A few involved mental issues, but at least I was...for a certain definition... happy?
Vortex: ... Ah Hell, you have Greener Grass Syndrome.
Taylor: Excuse me?
Vortex: Taylor, most people who learn the meaning of their Name will start thinking of all the ways that their lives could have gone better. A world like Earth Bet just makes things worse.
Taylor: But maybe I can learn enough to make my life really work when I get back! There are just so many ways that everything was interconnected. I never realized it before!
Vortex: Which a lot of my peers attribute to the fact that the Khepri situation was probably a Simurgh Plot supported by The Path to Victory and Dinah Alcott for good measure. I've seen this sort of thinking before, and it can get very self destructive.
Taylor: What do you mean?
Vortex *sigh*: When we get to the nuances of what using your Named persona involves, there can be all sorts of temptations. So, for an example, focus on your Name and think of a world where you are happy.
Taylor *closes her eyes*: I am an artist, with a different power. I don't get hurt, change different compounds into sculptures, and I'm able to reach out to Emma again somehow. And Lisa... actually likes me? I thought she was not interested in romance?
Vortex: As I understand it, she's not really. That was nothing powers related, which is perfectly fine. She just made the association because of the timing of her Trigger, and lacked the perspective or motivation to dig. However, gender identity and sexual orientation are not consistent between variants, and she sometimes bonds with someone who can neutralize her powers or have a minimum of the issues that she normally finds to be a turn off. Anyways, I think I recognize that one. You are glossing over a lot.
Taylor *looks down*: Am I?
Vortex *nods*: You are too close to the situation. It's sort of like why a Psychiatrist should not self-diagnose their possible issues. They lack an appropriate perspective.
Taylor *sighs*: That version of me has something wrong with her, doesn't she?
Vortex: That depends on your interpretation of the facts. She IS happy and has a life she enjoyes. However, her Trigger Event caused a semi-permanent Breaker state which had some side effects. No ability to feel negative emotions, a subdermal temperature that could melt metal, and the ability to consume anything and change its molecular structure to create her sculptures. It's a pretty dramatic shift that relies on a lot of little things that either didn't or won't happen to you and needs too many people to act differently than they would otherwise. Above all other things, remember the Fourth Rule.
Taylor: Yes, Vortex.
Vortex: That's not to say you shouldn't reflect on this information. Just remember that it is there to help you understand yourself as you are. Not to redefine who you are MEANT to be. Now let's go get you some food.
Taylor: Alright. But, I have to ask. If you were me, which world would you want to be your reality?
Vortex: ...well, I have to admit that Lizards are kind of cool...